May 4, 2005
Lawrence, Kan. -- In the second meeting of the season between No. 18 Missouri (37-10, 9-7) and Kansas (28-20, 7-8), the Tiger softball team helped earn 1.5 points torwards the Border Showdown presented by Midwest Ford Dealers after winning,3-0, on Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. Missouri leads Kansas 20.5 to 14.5 points in the Border Showdown.
Held to only one hit in the first two innings of play, Missouri opened up a 3-0 lead after this week's USA Softball National and Big 12 Player of the Week Janessa Roening (Port Angeles, Wash.) crushed a three-run homer over the right field fence. Freshman Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) led off the inning with a single to right field and was relieved by freshman pinch runner Amy Henke (Florissant, Mo.). Junior Kendra Power (Kansas City, Mo.) was next at the plate for Missouri and popped foul to Kansas catcher Elle Pottorf for MU's first out of the inning. Hitting from the nine-hole, sophomore second baseman Sarah Stringer (Auxvasse, Mo.) offered up her first sacrifice bunt of the season to advance Henke to second. Returning to the top of the order, sophomore centerfielder Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.) reached first on a walk bringing up Roening for the second time of the game. Roening's seventh blast of the season marked her third consecutive game with a homer. With the bases cleared, redshirt freshman Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) punched a two-out single to right field to reach first, but was forced to return to her defensive position in leftfield after freshman pitcher Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) powered a fly ball to center field.
Bruck (15-3) tossed 4.1 innings of work, striking out one, allowing no runs off six hits. Sophomore southpaw Erica Peterson (Irving, Texas) entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning and combined with Bruck for her 10th shutout of the season. Peterson struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth inning and fanned four batters to total 150 on the season.
The Tigers will close regular season action with a two-game series against the 24th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m. (CT) and Sunday, May 8, at 2 p.m. (CT). Missouri will recognize its three senior softball players, Ashley Hays, Erin Kalka and Heather Kunkel in a pre-game ceremony Sunday afternoon on University Field.