Feb. 8, 2008
Miami, Fla. - The No. 21 Missouri softball team bounced back from an afternoon loss to No. 15 Virginia Tech, by holding off Florida International University (FIU), 6-4, at the FIU Invitational held at University Park in Miami, Fla. Junior shortstop Lindsey Ubrun (Riverside, Calif.) drove in three of Missouri's six runs with her first inning, three-run homer, Missouri's first home run of the 2008 campaign.
Host school FIU took the early advantage, scoring two runs on three hits in the first inning. Missouri was quick to rebound, scoring three runs on two hits in the bottom half of the frame. Batting leadoff, freshman centerfielder Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) singled to third base and stole second, but was tagged out at third on a fielder's choice that left sophomore leftfielder Julie Silver (Chesterfield, Mo.) safe at first. With three-hole hitter Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) next at the plate, FIU pitcher Desiree Fink threw four balls to the Tiger, putting runners on first and second for Ubrun. Ubrun, a transfer from the University of Maryland, finished the evening game 2-for-4, hitting a sixth inning single and scoring Missouri's final run on sophomore third baseman Meredith Nash's (Peculiar, Mo.) single.
Junior Andee Allen (Barnhart, Mo.) scored her first run of the season, advancing home on Taylor's second inning single up the middle. Taylor proved dominant in Missouri's first two games of the season, finishing the day 4-for-6 at the plate with a .667 average and four stolen bases.
Missouri's fifth run of the night was scored by freshman pinch runner Kathryn Poet (Tujunga, Calif.). Running for Renth, who reached first with a sixth-inning leadoff single, Poet advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on the throw. Poet scored on freshman Megan Christopher's (Wright City, Mo.) single to centerfield, the first hit of her collegiate career.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jana Hainey (Raymore, Mo.) threw seven complete innings and stuck out three in her first appearance of the season in the circle. With the win, Missouri improves to 1-1 on the season, while FIU falls to 1-1.
The Tigers will take on Texas-Arlington at 11:30 a.m. (CT). Live stats are available at www.mutigers.com.