March 9, 2008
Clearwater, Fla. - The Missouri softball team completed the four-day USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., with a perfect 5-0 record that included a 10-4 win over Villanova Sunday morning. Combining for 13 hits, four of which were home runs with two coming from senior Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.), the Tigers now stand at 20-6 on the season and own a 12-game win streak. Starter Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) was credited with the win after throwing three innings, while Bruck recorded her second save of the year after holding the Wildcats hitless through the final four innings.
Missouri won the coin toss and elected to serve as home team for its final game of the tournament. Down 2-0 entering the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers were able to cut the Wildcats lead in half when left fielder Julie Silver (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored on cleanup hitter Amanda Renth's (Mascoutah, Ill.) fielder's choice. The Tigers tied the game in the second on Bruck's home run over the wall in left center.
Villanova scored its final two runs of the game in the third frame. With Delaney in the circle, the Tiger junior gave up a walk to Wildcat leadoff batter Jessica Curtis and a double to third baseman Meghan Moresa. Moresa's double drove in Curtis while a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Jess O'Boyle sent Moresa home from second.
The Tigers soundly shutdown the Wildcat defense in the remaining four innings, scoring eight runs on eight hits. Freshman right fielder Kathryn Poet (Tujunga, Calif.) and Bruck both hit home runs in the third inning and junior Lindsey Ubrun's (Riverside, Calif.) 10th homer of the year came in the bottom of the fourth. As a team, Missouri has hit 26 home runs on the season, six more than what the Tigers hit 26 games into the 2007 campaign.
Throughout the course of the tournament, six Tigers averaged .300 or better with four standing above .400. Ubrun finished the tournament at .500 with two doubles, four home runs and seven RBI.
Missouri will travel to Wichita State Wednesday, March 19 for a doubleheader with the Shockers. Game one is set to begin at 2 p.m.. (CT). Following the two-game series in Kansas, Missouri will return home and host North Dakota State and Wisconsin in the Mizzou Classic beginning Friday, March 14 at 1 p.m. (CT) on University Field.