March 8, 2009
Springfield, Mo. - Throwing her eighth complete game of the year, Missouri freshman right handed pitcher Chelsea Thomas (Pleasantville, Iowa) hurled her second consecutive no hitter, blanking Missouri State, 5-0, in the fourth and final game of the All-Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness tournament held in Springfield, Mo. The 12th-ranked Tigers recorded back-to-back wins in the final day of the three day tournament, holding off Saint Louis, 4-3, while improving to 18-3 on the year and 4-0 at the event. With Sunday's two wins, Missouri collected its third tournament title of the year.
Thomas, who owns a 0.77 ERA on the year, finished the tournament with a 2-0 record that included two complete game wins by shutout, 12 innings pitched and eight strikeouts. Thomas through Missouri's first no hitter in over a year in Saturday's game against SEMO.
Junior lefty Jana Hainey (Peculiar, Mo.) collected her fifth win of the year after taking down Saint Louis in the first game of the afternoon. Teammate Kristin Nottelmann (Fenton, Mo.) was credited with the save. Hainey twirled six innings and allowed three runs on six hits while striking out seven. Nottelmann entered the game in the seventh forcing a flyout, lineout and groundout while allowing a two out double. As a team, the Tiger pitching staff owns a 0.76 ERA.
Offensively, Missouri closed out the tournament with a combined .362 average. Senior Andee Allen (Barnhart, Mo.) played in both of Sunday's games for Missouri and went 5-for-6 for an .833 average. Allen powered her fifth double of the year in Missouri's game against Missouri State and scored one of Missouri's five runs in the bottom of the fifth frame. Reaching base on a single down the left field line, Allen advanced to second after right fielder Kathryn Poet (Tujunga, Calif.) reached base on balls. Allen took third on a fielder's choice and scored on redshirt junior Gina Schneider's (Liberty, Mo.) fielder's choice. Missouri put up four of its five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
In Missouri's game against Saint Louis, senior Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) hit her second home run of the year scoring Missouri's first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. The ball went deep over the left field fence and is Minner's 34th of her career. Minner's slugging percentage stands .547 on the year while she's averaging .340 at the plate.
Next up for the nationally ranked Tigers is Wednesday's March 11 home game against Northern Iowa beginning at 3 p.m. (CT) on University Field.