March 9, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - One week removed from a three-game series at No. 2 Arizona, the Tiger softball team (16-9) will return to "The Grand Canyon State" for the Pac 10/Big 12 Challenge beginning Friday, March 9, at 3:30 p.m. (CT) at Farrington Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University.
Missouri will open tournament play against the 11th-ranked Washington Huskies (15-2), playing game two against No. 3 Arizona State (22-2) at 6 p.m. (CT). The Tigers enter game one with the Huskies down 2-0 in the all-time series. The two teams last met in 2001 on University Field when Missouri suffered a one run loss, 3-2. Washington, one of 16 teams to reach the Super Regionals last season, hasn't lost a game since Feb. 23 when they suffered a 4-0 shutout by Texas at the Palm Springs Classic.
Arizona State and Missouri stand tied at five in the all-time series, with the Sun Devils taking the most recent victory, 10-1, in 2004. The second of two games on the day, Missouri won the first game by a score of 8-1. Participants of the 2006 College World Series, Arizona State is currently on a five game win streak that dates back to its March 2, 12-9 victory over North Florida. The Sun Devils have suffered only two losses on the season, the first coming to seventh-ranked Northwestern, 5-2 Feb. 24 with the second March 2 to UC Santa Barbara, 8-7.
Tournament action will continue for Missouri Saturday, March 10 with a 1 p.m. (CT) game agaist Washington followed with an 8:30 p.m. (CT) game against Arizona State. The championship game will be decided on Sunday, March 11.
Texas Tech represents the other Big 12 Conference program at the four-team tournament. The Red Raiders are currently 13-8 on the 2007 campaign.
The two top-15 programs mark Missouri's second and third highest ranked opponents of the season. This is Missouri's second straight week in which the Tigers have taken on a top-five opponent. Next week the Tigers will host seventh-ranked Northwestern at the third annual Tiger Invitational.
Tiger senior Leanne Bowers currently leads her team with a .373 batting average. With four home runs to her name, the second highest on the team, Bowers has moved to seventh in the Missouri career home run record book. Junior Amanda Renth's team leading six home runs on the season tied her personal best set in 2006 and brings her to 15 on her three year Missouri career. This total brings Renth to eighth in the Missouri career home run record book.