May 21, 2010
Columbia Regional Game 2 - #1 Missouri vs. #4 Creighton
Regional Notes:
Missouri is hosting an NCAA Softball Regional for the second consecutive year. Mizzou hosted both DePaul and Illinois last season as well, with the Tigers winning the Regional en route to a Women's College World Series appearance.
Missouri is 13-11 all-time vs. Creighton, but the last meeting came back in 2001.
Missouri will face Illinois at Noon on Saturday, while DePaul and Creighton meet at 2:30 p.m. in the first elimination game.
Today's attendance at the Columbia Regional was 1,306.
Missouri Notes:
Mizzou has won 20 of its last 23 games and is now 3-1 in postseason play. Missouri went 2-1 in Big 12 Tournament play last weekend before winning in walk-off fashion on Friday night.
Missouri notched its 47th win of the year on Friday, the second most in school history. The Tigers on 47 games in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and set the school record with 50 wins in 2009.
Missouri improved to 6-3 in one-run games and is now 3-7 on the season when entering the seventh inning with a deficit.
Missouri struggled offensively, going without a run for the first five innings, before scoring three in the final two frames. Missouri scored three unanswered runs throughout the sixth and seventh frames for the 3-2 win.
Rhea Taylor was the lone player to record two hits. Taylor, who led off Missouri's half of the first inning with her 10th double of the year, also scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Catherine Lee drove Taylor and Lisa Simmons in with her game-winning double in the seventh. The double was Lee's seventh of the year and gives her 27 RBIs on the season.
Jana Hainey recorded a season high seven strikeouts in the contest. Her previous high was six set last weekend against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament. Her career high is eight, which she set twice earlier in her tenure.
Sophomore Kristin Nottelmann was outstanding in relief of starter Jana Hainey. The Felton, Mo., native pitched 3.0 innings and allowing no hits, while striking out four. Only one Bluejay reached base on the Tiger right-hander and that came after a hit-by-pitch.
Creighton Notes:
Creighton suffered its third consecutive heart-breaking loss in NCAA play. The Bluejays lost back-to-back one-run decisions in 2008 and seven of CU's last 10 NCAA games have been decided by one run.
The Bluejays are now 23-6 over their last 29 games. Creighton is now 4-1 in postseason play thanks to a perfect 4-0 mark in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament action to earn the postseason berth.
Tara Oltman, the only Creighton student-athlete ever to be named first team all-MVC in her career, was outstanding despite taking the loss. She struck out five and limited Missouri's potent offense to just three runs. However she did walk five batters and threw 134 pitches in the defeat.
Creighton fell to 1-4 vs. ranked teams and is now 0-3 vs. the Top 10 this season. The Bluejays lost a pair of decisions to #8 Arizona State back in March.
Creighton is now 1-5 vs. Big 12 opposition this year. They split with Kansas on April 15 in Omaha.