April 23, 2005
Waco, Texas. -- The 18th-ranked Missouri softball team (32-9, 6-6) dropped a 5-4, eight inning game to No. 12 Baylor (42-8, 9-5) at Getterman Stadium in Waco, Texas, despite two blasts over the wall by senior Heather Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill.) and freshman Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.). Missouri is now 3-3 in extra inning games.
Baylor jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after designated played Chelsi Lake crushed a one out home run over the wall in left field for a trip around the bases that also brought centerfielder Harmony Schwethelm home from second.
Battling against right handed Baylor pitcher Lisa Ferguson, the Tigers cut the lead in half in the top of the third after sophomore centerfielder Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.) ripped a one-out line drive to reach first. The shot to centerfield snapped a two game hitless drought for Bowers who advanced to second on a knock to right field by junior right fielder Janesa Roening (Port Angeles, Wash.). With redshirt freshman Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) at the plate, the lefty took first on an error by BU second baseman Katie Ottens, her second of the game, and ran to second on the throw, pushing Roening to third where she was tossed out after Bowers touched home. Freshman Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) brought the inning to an end when she struck out swinging.
The Tigers pulled even with the Bears in the top of the fourth as senior shortstop Kunkel blasted a one-out, full count home run off the left field foul poll. The bomb was her 13th of the season and 20th of her career.
Baylor notched its third run in the bottom of the fifth inning when left fielder Kelly Osburn came home on a single by Lake, but Missouri answered in the top of the sixth with a run of their own.
Designated player Bruck helped bring the Tigers even with the Bears for the second time of the game after sending a solo homer over the right center wall. The launch was her ninth of the season and places her in a three-way tie for seventh on the MU season home run chart.
Scoreless through the seventh, Missouri headed into its sixth extra inning game of the season and third of the Big 12 season. With two outs on the board, sophomore catcher Kathy Materson (St. Louis, Mo.) walked to first, stole second and gave MU its first lead of the game when she ran home on a double to left field by junior third baseman Kendra Power (Kansas City, Mo.). Power's swat was her first in six games and provided her with her ninth RBI of the season. Sophomore second baseman Sarah Stringer (Auxvasse, Mo.) was the third out when she grounded to first.
Not to be outdone on their homefield, Baylor scored a homer in the bottom of the inning and won the game on a bases loaded single to right field by pinch hitter Carrie Leerberg. Bruck was credited with the loss (13-3) after entering the game in the sixth inning and giving up two runs off two hits in 2.1 innings of work. Southpaw sophomore Erica Peterson (Irving, Texas) relieved Bruck on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and gave up the game-winning hit.
Senior ace Erin Kalka (Chandler, Okla.) made her ninth start of the season in the circle and struck out five Bears in five innings of work.
The Tigers and Bears will close out the two-game conference series tomorrow at 1 p.m., (CT) in Getterman Stadium.