May 6, 2007

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Columbia, Mo. - In a game with Big 12 title implications, the Tiger softball team (37-21, 13-4) was unable to hold off Nebraska (37-20, 10-8), 3-1, and finished the regular season in third behind No. 7 Baylor (14-3) and No. 3 Oklahoma (14-4). Seeded third in the league, Missouri will next travel to the Big 12 Championships and play game one of the single-elimination tournament beginning Friday, May 11, at 11:30 a.m. (CT) against No. 6 seed Texas. The game will be played on the alternate field of the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

In a day set to honor Missouri's six graduating seniors, the Tigers were only able to manage one run on three hits against Nebraska righty Molly Hill. Nebraska broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, scoring two runs, both earned, on two hits and two Tiger errors. Missouri pitcher Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) was credited with the loss and falls to 19-8 in her junior campaign. Freshman lefty Jana Hainey (Raymore, Mo.) entered the game in the fifth for Missouri and struck out three Husker batters but allowed her first earned run in 26 innings in the top of the seventh.

Down three runs, Missouri jumped on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning. Leading off for the Tigers, three-hole hitter junior Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) singled up the middle to reach first. Relieved by pinch runner Allison Kennewell (Eden Prairie, Minn.), redshirt junior Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) reached base on balls to send Kennewell to second base. Next to the plate, senior second baseman Sarah Stringer (Auxvasse, Mo.) reached first on a fielder's choice that sent Minner back to the dugout but allowed Kennewell to reach third safely. Missouri's lone run of the game came across on Andee Allen's (Windsor, Mo.) fielder's choice in which Stringer was tagged out at second.

The Tigers will head south to Oklahoma on Wednesday, May 9, practice at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Thursday, May 10 and begin their quest for a Big 12 Tournament title, Friday, May 11. Earlier in the season, Missouri swept the Longhorns its two game home series with Texas, winning game one, 6-3 and game two, 1-0.