March 17, 2006
Down to the final eight non-conference games of the season, the Missouri softball team will play a three-game series against No. 21 Louisville beginning with game one of a doubleheader, Saturday at 2 p.m. (CST) at University Field. Game two is set to begin at 4 p.m. (CST) with the finale slated for Sunday at noon. All three games will be available on All-Access and stats will be provided through Gametracker. KCOU will cover Missouri's third game against the Cardinals on 88.1 FM in Columbia.
Louisville leads Missouri, 3-2, in the all-time series. The Tiger's first win over the Cardinals came in their first meeting, Feb. 11, 2000 (8-2), with the most recent victory earned last season, 4-0, at the Louisville Courtyard Red & Black Tournament. Although Louisville leads the all-time series, Missouri has outscored the Cardinals, 16-9, in their past five meetings. Two of the Tiger's losses to Louisville came at home in 2002 (3-2, 3-2). Missouri Head Coach Ty Singleton is 1-1 against Louisville, having lost the opening game of the 2004 NCAA Regional Tournament 1-0 in Los Angeles. Missouri's starting pitcher this campaign, Jen Bruck, was credited with the Tiger's shutout of the Cardinals last season, striking out four batters in four innings of work.
7-1 at home, the Tigers will have played 11 games in 12 days at University Field and will be just over half-way through their regular season schedule. Missouri will host eight more home games this season including a Wednesday, March 21, 2 p.m. (CST) battle with Southern Illinois.
Entering the series with Louisville, Missouri has tallied 25 home runs this season, 57 shy of last season's record-setting mark. Redshirt sophomore Micaela Minner leads her teammates with a .358 batting average and owns six home runs and six doubles on the season. Minner is 24-for-67 at the plate and has scored 14 runs while tallying 28 RBI.
Looking Ahead: Closing out the non-conference season, Missouri will travel to Springfield, Mo., for the second time of the season, to play a single game against Missouri State, Tuesday, March 21 at 4 p.m. (CST). The very next day, the Tigers host Southern Illinois, Missouri's fourth Missouri Valley opponent of the season, in a 2 p.m. (CST) Game at University Field.