March 30, 2008
College Station, Texas. -Playing in intermittent rain showers that turned heavy in the fifth inning, the Missouri softball team (31-9, 2-2) lost its four run lead and suffered a 9-4 loss to seventh-ranked Texas A&M (34-6, 6-0) at the Aggie Softball Complex in College Station, Texas. Sophomore Jana Hainey (Raymore, Mo.) was credited with the loss and falls to 10-2 on the year.
Held to only three hits in yesterday's meeting with the Aggies, Missouri's bats warmed for game two, with three Tigers managing three hits on the first four of Megan Gibson's pitches. Leadoff batter Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) smacked a first pitch single up the middle to reach first and scored on sophomore Julie Silver's (Chesterfield, Mo.) first pitch double to left center. Missouri's all-time leader in the Tiger home run record book, senior Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.), blasted her 45th career knock on Gibson's fourth pitch of the day.
Gibson took her turn at the plate and hit a home run to pull the Aggies within two runs of Missouri in the bottom of the first fame. However, in Bruck's next at bat, the Tiger blasted home run No. 46, her 13th of the season, over the left field wall. The home run was Bruck's third of the weekend against Gibson and her fourth of the spring break swing through the state of Texas.
Junior pitcher Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) loaded the bases in the bottom of the third after intentionally walking Gibson. With eight-hole hitter Jamie Hinshaw at the plate, the Aggie outfielder sent a sacrifice fly to the left field wall driving in Macie Morrow from third. Texas A&M tied the game on Holly Ridley's two RBI single. After giving up three runs on three hits, Missouri went to its bullpen and brought in Hainey in relief. Hainey sent designated player Alex Reynolds back to the bench after striking out swinging, for the third Aggie out of the inning.
Delaney ended the game having thrown 2.2 innings and struck out two Aggies, forcing four fly outs and two ground outs.
Texas A&M second baseman Natalie Villarreal broke the 4-4 tie with a first pitch home run in the bottom of the fifth inning and Hinshaw added to the board with a one out home run also falling over the center field wall. With two outs on the board and runners on first and second, Jami Lobpries hit the Aggies' third home run of the inning giving A&M a 9-4 advantage. Heavy rain forced a seven minute rain delay. The inning picked back up at 1:33 p.m. (CT) and Hainey sat down Spittler swinging.
Missouri was unable to overcome the A&M lead and Hainey was saddled with the loss. During her 3.1 innings in the circle, Hainey struck out five of the 17 batter she faced and threw 69 pitches.
The Tigers will return to Columbia, Mo and host Drake in a mid-week doubleheader Wednesday, April 2 beginning at 3 p.m. (CT) on University Field.