March 20, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 13 Tiger softball team (22-3) increased their winning streak to 19 straight after beating Western Michigan 10-1 in five innings and Minnesota by a 2-0 final on the last day of the Wilson Classic. The 19 straight wins is tied for second most ever, matching the 2008 squad.
No. 13 Mizzou 10, WMU 1 (5 inn.) |
Time: 1:35 Att.: 400 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | F | |
| MIZZOU | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | X | 10 |
| WMU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | X | 1 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| W - Thomas (8-2) | 3.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| L - Patterson (0-4) | 0.2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Hitting Leaders | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | HR |
| MU - Fleming | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| MU - Simmons | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
No. 13 Mizzou 2, Minnesota 0 |
Time: 1:23 Att.: 475 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | F | |
| Minn. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MIZZOU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 2 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| W - Thomas (9-2) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| L - Moulton (17-8) | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Hitting Leaders | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | HR |
| MU - Fleming | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| MU - Hudson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
After being postponed on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers and Broncos resumed play on Sunday with Mizzou leading 10-1 in the bottom of the fourth. The Broncos were batting with two runners on with one out. Sophomore Nicole Hudson relieved Chelsea Thomas, Saturday's starter, when play resumed.
Neither team got anything going on Sunday, as both squads managed just one base runner. The Tigers drew a walk in the top of the fifth, while a Bronco reached on an error in the bottom half of the inning.
Chelsea Thomas (8-2) got the win, her eighth in a row. Thomas struck out nine, walked four, scattered two hits and gave up only one run. Hudson threw 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.
Junior Ashley Fleming and senior Lisa Simmons led the Tigers with two hits each. Simmons scored once and drove one in, while Fleming homered, scored two times and drove in five RBI – matching her season high.
The Missouri offense exploded in the first inning on Saturday, scoring 10 runs on eight hits in the opening frame. The 10 runs are the most in an inning since the Tigers put up 12 in the fourth inning of a game against Saint Louis on Feb. 21, 2007.
With one out in the inning, the Tigers rallied off six straight hits. Jenna Marston singled and scored on a double by Fleming, who was moved over to third on Ruggeberg's base hit. Schweisberger singled home Fleming and moved Ruggeberg over to third, who then scored on Krebs' hit back up the middle. Simmons kept the line moving with a base hit to right, scoring Schweisberger on the play. After Simmons stole second, Megan Christopher hit a sacrifice fly to plate Krebs. Abby Vock then followed with a base knock to score Simmons from second base. With two outs, Taylor reached on an error, and then Marston walked to load the bases, setting up a grand slam by Fleming to give her five RBI in the inning.
Western Michigan got one back in the bottom of the first, ending Chelsea Thomas' scoreless streak at 43.0 consecutive innings. The first two batters reached for the Broncos, as Thomas issued a leadoff walk and then gave up a single. Following a strikeout, Tara Buchanan sent a base hit into center field, bringing home a run.
Five other Tigers managed hits, with Schweisberger, Krebs and Vock all knocking in an RBI. Missouri has won by run-rule in nine of their last 14 games.
Missouri 2, Minnesota 0
Fleming blasted a two-run home run just inside of the right field foul pole in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, breaking the scoreless pitcher's duel. On the 3-1 pitch, Fleming hooked the inside pitch down the right field line.
“I was sitting on an inside pitch, and she finally gave me one,” said Fleming. “I knew it was out of play, it was just a question of whether it would stay fair or not, so I was following it and hoping it held on, thankfully it did. I had a green light on 3-and-0, but she threw one outside that I thought was off the plate a little bit, but the umpire called it a strike, so I just had a hunch she'd try to come inside on the next pitch.”
Marston kept the inning alive with a two out walk, setting up Fleming's fifth home run of the year, which is tied for most on the squad. She leads all Tigers with 29 runs batted in and is hitting .439.
Each team mustered just two hits in the contest. Thomas secured the win, throwing a complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts and zero walks to improve to 9-2. Minnesota's Sara Moulton was the tough-luck loser, falling to 17-8 on the season. She struck out six and walked two.
Moulton had a no hitter in the fifth inning that was broken up by Hudson with one out. A one out single in the fourth inning by Dannie Skrove broke up the no hitter by Thomas, who was perfect at that point. The Golden Gophers put runners on first and second with just one out in the sixth following an error and a single, but Thomas struck out the next two batters looking to get out of the jam.
Missouri opens up their conference season with a doubleheader this Wednesday against Border Showdown rival Kansas, beginning at 4 p.m. CT in Lawrence, Kan. The second game will start at approximately 6 p.m.