Sept. 25, 2010
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri softball team kicked off their fall season on Saturday and picked up a pair of victories against Maple Woods Community College and North Central Missouri College, winning 4-0 and 18-1, respectively.
Three Tiger pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout over Maple Woods. Junior Ashley Fleming picked up the win, throwing 2.1 innings of relief, setting down all seven batters she faced. Junior Kristin Nottelmann got the start and went 2.2 innings, giving up just a hit. On a limited pitch count, Nottelmann threw 38 pitches and struck out seven of the 10 batters she faced. Sophomore Nicole Hudson threw the last two innings and struck out a pair.
Missouri pushed across two runs in their half of the first to jump out to the early lead. With one out, freshman Maddison Ruggeberg singled to center, while sophomore Jenna Marston followed with another base hit. Senior Catherine Lee followed by roping a double to left-center field gap, plating both runners. Lee finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.
Mizzou added another in the fourth to push the lead to 3-0. Senior Alaina Burkhart got things started with a single to center, and after advancing to second on a ground out, scored on a single by senior Abby Vock.
The Tigers scored their fourth run on a single by Lisa Simmons, scoring Marla Schweisberger who singled with two outs and stole second base to get into scoring position.
In game two, Missouri piled on 18 runs on 21 hits, scoring 17 of those runs in the last four innings. Simmons picked up the victory, going six innings while allowing one run on three hits. She struck out and walked a pair. Fleming tossed a perfect seventh inning to finish off the game.
Mizzou put up a run in the first after senior Rhea Taylor singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Two batters later, Hudson plated Taylor on a sacrifice fly.
North Central Missouri tied it up in the top of the second, getting a leadoff single and an RBI single to center with two outs, but after that it was all Tigers.
Missouri added six in the third on six hits to push their lead to 7-1. Princess Krebs singled to lead things off and advanced to third on Taylor's second single of the game. Taylor swiped second, and a throwing error on the catcher allowed Krebs to score. Hudson singled in Taylor for her second RBI of the game, and after Fleming walked, Simmons singled up the middle, scoring two. Simmons would score on an error, and an RBI single by Rachel Hay finished the scoring with an RBI single of her own.
The Tigers tacked on five more in the next inning, highlighted by Megan Christopher's three-run home run. Fleming and freshman Brianna Corwin each added an RBI single as well.
In the fifth, Nicole Hudson blasted a two-run home run to push Missouri's lead to 14-1. Mizzou added four more in the sixth to make it 18-1.
Sophomore Ashlie Ortega finished the game by a 3-for-5 performance at the plate as she roped two triples and a double. She also scored three runs and had an RBI. Hudson went 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. Fleming was a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, while Corwin went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.
The Tigers will resume their fall schedule next Saturday, when they take on Meramec Community College and Jefferson College. Action will get underway at Noon CT at University Field.