Missouri
Western Illinois
Mizzou Softball Splits Double-Header With Western Illinois
3/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 17, 2007
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri softball team split a double-header with Western Illinois University during the second day of action at the weather-shortened Tiger Invitational. Four games were originally slated for Saturday at Mizzou's University Field, but a morning snowstorm forced the games inside Devine Pavilion and contests featuring Northwestern and Columbia College were cancelled.
With the cancellations, Mizzou and Western Illinois played a double-header and the Tigers earned a 4-3 game-one win in eight innings, before falling 9-8 in the nightcap.
The Tiger Invitational will resume on Sunday, with Northwestern and Columbia College squaring off at 10 a.m. Missouri and Western Illinois will play at 12:15 p.m., with Mizzou and Northwestern wrapping-up the 2007 Tiger Invitational 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Missouri - Western Illinois game.
Game One: Missouri earned a 4-3 extra-innings win over Western Illinois thanks to a game-winning RBI fielder's choice from Kathy Masterson in the bottom of the eighth. Due to international rules, both clubs started extra-innings with a runner on second base, but only Mizzou was able to capitalize. With Micaela Minner opening the inning on second for the Tigers, Andee Allen sacrificed her to third base setting up Masterson's game-winning heroics.
The Tigers managed to control the contest most of the way and actually built a 3-0 lead through four innings. Amanda Renth drove in a pair of Tigers in the third inning with a double to left field. Leanne Bowers opened the inning with a one-out single and Julie Silver walked setting up Mizzou's first run-scoring opportunity.
The Tigers pushed the lead to 3-0 in the fourth before WIU rallied for a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. The key hit for the Westerwinds came with two outs in the seventh, as Amy Douglas singled home Britt Mason and Lindsey Hession to force extra innings.
Jen Bruck worked two innings for the Tigers to get her seventh win of the year, although Jana Hainey pitched six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on six hits. Kamren Ferguson took the loss for WIU and fell to 3-2 on the year.
Game Two: Missouri again struck early in game two, building a 6-1 lead through four innings. Bowers opened the game with a double to center and later scored on a Renth base hit. Minner kept the pressure on with a single of her own, before Bruck doubled to make the score 2-0, Tigers. Bruck later scored when Allen was caught in a run-down between first and second.
Western Illinois narrowed the gap to 3-1 in the third with an RBI groundout by Samantha Valentine, but the Tigers responded with three more runs in the fourth to push their advantage to 6-1. Back-to-back hits by Bruck and Allen (double) started the rally, with a fielding error by the WIU shortstop and a single from Allison Kennewell keeping the Tigers in front.
Yet another run in the fifth made it 7-1, Mizzou, but a four-run fifth for Western Illinois narrowed the gap to 7-5. The Tigers got an insurance run in the seventh to increase their margin to 8-5, but three consecutive WIU singles and a hit-by-pitch started Western Illinois' four-run inning to help them escape with a 9-8 come-from-behind win. Tiger pitching relinquished five hits in the seventh, including a Hession single to left-center, which scored Mason and gave WIU the 9-8 win.
The Tiger Invitational will resume on Sunday, with Northwestern and Columbia College squaring off at 10 a.m. Missouri and Western Illinois will play at 12:15 p.m., with Mizzou and Northwestern wrapping-up the 2007 Tiger Invitational 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Missouri - Western Illinois game.
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