March 9, 2005
Columbia, Mo. - Opening the home portion of their schedule today on University Field, the No. 21 Missouri softball team improved to 17-2 on the season after dominating Ball State (3-11) in back-to-back games. Tossing her first complete collegiate no-hitter, freshman Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) helped the Tigers to a 10-0 shutout in five innings for the first victory, while sophomore lefty Erica Peterson (Irving, Texas) was credited with MU's second game, 15-7, win in six innings. Missouri now leads the Cardinals 5-0 in the all-time series, earning three of the five wins this campaign.
In all, Missouri totaled 25 hits throughout the two-game sweep. Redshirt freshman Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas), crushed homers in each of the day's games to move to fourth in the MU season home run record book and eighth in the Missouri career home run record book with nine pounded in only four weeks of work. Also climbing the charts, senior shortstop Heather Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill.) moved to fourth in the career doubles record book with her sixth rip of the season coming in game one and stands alone at seventh on the career home runs chart after smashing her 12th career yard ball in game two.
The Tigers scored all of game one's runs in the bottom of the second and third innings. With three runs on the board, Minner stepped into a two-out, two-on situation and came through with a huge moonshot over the outfield fence to clear the bases and put MU up by six heading into the third. The Cardinals were unable to get a hit off of the hot hand of Bruck, who fanned five batters during her time on the mound. Kunkel opened the third inning as leadoff hitter and smashed a double to left field, later advancing home on a bases loaded walk by Cardinal southpaw Randi Freese. Missouri's final three runs were scored after Bruck pounded her sixth double of the season to drive in sophomore Sarah Stringer (Auxvasse, Mo.) and juniors Kendra Power (Kansas City, Mo.) and Janessa Roening (Port Angeles, Wash.).
Opening game two at 3:49 p.m., Minner, sophomore Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.) and sophomore Kathy Masterson (St. Louis, Mo.) hit bombs in the bottom of the third, fourth and sixth innings, respectively. Minner crushed her ninth homer of the season over the centerfield fence for two RBI. At the end of the day, Minner brought her RBI season total to 30, nine shy of cracking into the season RBI record book. Bowers tied her home run record from last season with her fourth long ball of 2005, while the leadoff shot over the centerfield fence was a career first for Masterson.
"We have a strong offensive team this year," Head Coach Ty Singleton said. "They're exciting to watch and they're all improving with each pitch they take."
Ranked No. 21 in the nation, the Tigers will resume action Saturday, March 12, with a doubleheader against Drake scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., (CT) on University Field, with game two expected to start at 4 p.m. The three-game series will conclude, Sunday, March 13, with the final game beginning at noon.