Softball

Game Two Notes: Mizzou 12, Illinois State 3 (5)

May 21, 2011

Game Two Notes
#1 Missouri (47-7) 12, #4 Illinois State (35-18) 3
May 21, 2011 – Columbia Regional Game 2

  • Missouri is hosting NCAA Regional action for the third consecutive season and is now 7-0 the last two-plus years in regional games. In postseason home games overall (including Super Regional play in 2010), the Tigers are a perfect 9-0.
  • #1-seeded Missouri will face #3-seeded DePaul at 3 p.m.
  • Missouri enters postseason play on a roll. The Tigers have now won 10 of their last 11 games and 20 of 22 overall dating back to April 3.
  • Missouri scored a first-round best 12 runs in the win against Illinois State. The 12 tallies topped the 10 runs scored by Arizona and Arizona State in their opening-game wins on Friday.
  • Kristin Nottelmann made her second consecutive start on the mound for Mizzou. She pitched the Tigers to an 8-1 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference Championship-clinching victory. She improved to 16-1 on the year with today's win.
  • Nottelmann recorded her 51st career win on Saturday. That moved her into ninth on the career victories list.
  • Missouri improved to 4-0 vs. Illinois State this season, including three five-inning victories.
  • Missouri improved to 26-3 when scoring in the first inning and 41-4 when scoring first overall. Missouri scored four first-inning runs and eight more tallies in the third to cruise to victory.
  • Missouri pounded out 14 hits, just shy of the season high 15 hits on March 6 vs. Missouri State.
  • Ashley Fleming homered in the first inning to fuel Mizzou's quick start. It was her 13th of the year and pushed her RBI total to 57. It was also the 26th career home run for the junior, which is tied for fifth on the career list at Mizzou. She is tied with Mary Babb (1994-97). Fleming has now homered in three consecutive games and her 13 round-trippers are tied for 10th on the single-season chart.
  • Missouri hit a pair of home runs and now has 60 for the season. The Tigers need five more to move into second place all-time. The 2005 club hit a school record 82 homers.
  • Fleming also doubled for the 16th time this season, a team best. She is now third in single-season doubles, three behind the school record pace set by Mary Babb in 1995.
  • Nicole Hudson hit her 22nd career home run as part of an eight-run third inning. The homer was Hudson's 12th of the year, which is second on the club and just one behind teammate Ashley Fleming for 10th in single-season history at MU.
  • Four Tigers finished the game with multi-hit performances and seven different Tigers had at least one hit.

Illinois State Notes

  • Illinois State's Kara Nelson led off the game with her 11th double of the season. Nelson, the 2011 Missouri Valley Player of the Year, leads the Redbirds in that category. She finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.
  • Laura Canopy launched her fourth home run of the year. The right-field blast drove in two runs.
  • ISU fell to 9-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. It last won a regional contest in 2007.
  • The four first-inning runs scored by Missouri were the most allowed by ISU this season. The previous high was three first-inning tallies scored by Southern Illinois on May 1. ISU did come back to win the game, 5-4.
  • The eight runs allowed by the Redbirds in the third inning were a season high as well.