University of Missouri
UTSA
Tigers Shutout Roadrunners, 9-0
3/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 26, 2008
San Antonio, Texas. -Rebounding from yesterday's 4-1 loss to the University of Texas at San Antonio, Missouri blanked the Roadrunners, 9-0, in six innings to split the series 1-1 and improve to 31-8 on the campaign. The Tigers managed 12 hits in the game, marking the eighth time of the 2008 season that the Tigers recorded double-digit hits. In addition, the Tiger victory handed UTSA its worse home loss since 2003.
Freshman Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) reached base as Missouri's leadoff hitter for the 31st time of the season to open the Tiger's second game against the Roadrunners. Taylor successfully stole second and reached third on sophomore Julie Silver's (Chesterfield, Mo.) sacrifice bunt to first base. With one out on the board, Taylor made her way home on junior Lindsey Ubrun's (Riverside, Calif.) ground out, crediting Ubrun with her 46th RBI of the season. By the end of the night, Taylor had stolen two bases and moved to fourth in Missouri's single season stolen bases record book with 36 swipes.
Missouri tacked on four runs in the top of the second frame, taking advantage of three Roadrunner errors. The Tigers strung together three hits to push three earned runs across the plate. Pinch runner Lisa Simmons' (Boonville, Mo.) first run of the inning was the only one to come across unearned, as leadoff batter Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) reached base on a fielding error by shortstop Mercedes Hessel bringing Simmons in to pinch run from first. Simmons scored from third on a throwing error by catcher Whitney Balch.
Junior Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) pitched her way out of a fifth inning bases loaded Roadrunner threat. After throwing a one hitter for four innings, Delaney allowed three hits in the fifth to load the bases for freshman designated player Danye Holmes. Holmes entered the game having hit a team high five home runs and four doubles. The inning came to an end on Holmes' flyout to Tiger second baseman Andee Allen (Barnhart, Mo.).
Delaney threw her 12th complete game and seventh solo shutout of the season to improve to 14-3 on the year. Continuing to fan her opponents at the plate, Delaney struck out nine bringing her season strike out total to a team-high 116. Delaney currently leads the Tiger pitching staff with a 1.23 ERA.
Scoring two runs in the fifth and sixth frames, seven Tigers combined for Missouri's 12 hits and seven scored runs, Taylor and Allen both credited with two runs.
Missouri will return to the Big 12 portion of it schedule when they take on the seventh-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M beginning Saturday, March 29 at 2 p.m. (CT). The two-game series will conclude Sunday, March 30 at Noon.
