No. 11 Tigers Split with Mean Green

Wednesday, March 30

Denton, Texas

4:00PM

Missouri

North Texas

3/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

March 30, 2011

DENTON, Texas - After opening up with a 4-1 victory in game one, No. 11 Missouri saw their 24-game winning streak come to an end in the second game, as the North Texas Mean Green upset the Tigers by a 9-2 final, hitting four home runs in game two. The Tigers are now 27-4 on the season.

No. 11 Mizzou 4, North Texas 1
Box Score

Time: 1:40
Att: 200

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F
MIZZOU	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	4
UNT	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Thomas (13-2)	7.0	5	1	1	1	11
L - Kirk (6-9)	7.0	6	4	3	5	6

Hitting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
MU - Fleming	4	1	2	3	0	1
MU - Ruggeberg	2	0	1	1	2	0

North Texas 9, No. 11 Mizzou 2
Box Score

Time: 1:42

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F
MIZZOU	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
UNT	3	0	0	2	1	3	0	9

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Simmons (8-8)	7.0	8	2	2	2	0
L - Nottelmann (11-1)	6.0	7	9	9	3	8

Hitting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
MU - Lee	3	1	2	1	0	0
MU - Hudson	3	0	1	1	0	0

Missouri 4, North Texas 1
Maddison Ruggeberg delivered a two out single in the top of the first to score Rhea Taylor, giving the Tigers the early 1-0 lead. Ruggeberg's single came on a 2-0 pitch as the Tiger freshman picked up a hit in her fourth straight game

North Texas evened up the game in the bottom of the second inning when Mariza Martinez belted her third home run of the season. The lefty hit an opposite field shot over the wall in left field, making it 1-1. Lisa Johnson reached on an error and advanced to second, but she wouldn't move as Chelsea Thomas got a strike out and ground out to end the inning.

Missouri put themselves back ahead in the top of the third inning off a two run double by Ashley Fleming, giving Mizzou the 3-1 advantage. The Tigers put the first two batters on when Marla Schweisberger singled and Rhea Taylor walked. After a fielder's choice, a double steal put both runners in scoring position and Fleming followed with her 11th double of the season.

Thomas worked out of tight jam in the bottom of the fourth, stranding a pair of Mean Green runners in scoring position. Thomas got ahead of Caitlin Grimes 0-2 before Grimes worked back to draw the walk, and Martinez laid down a bunt single to put two on with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third, Thomas got two straight strikeouts to end the inning.

With two outs in the top of the fifth, Fleming extended the Missouri lead with her eighth home run of the season, making it 4-1 Tigers. The Tiger junior, who had nine home runs last season, sent a 1-1 pitch into the trees over the fence in straightaway center field.

The Mean Green put two more runners on base in the bottom of the fifth but once again Thomas was able to get out of it. With two outs, an error put Lelsey Hirsch on first base and an infield single put runners on the corners for North Texas. However, Megan Christopher got the Tigers out of it by picking Hirsch off, faking a throw down to second with the runner stealing before throwing behind Hirsch at third.

Thomas struck out the side in the seventh to finish off her 13th straight victory. Now 13-2, Thomas struck out 11, walked one and allowed one run on five hits. Fleming finished the game with two hits in four at bats, plus a double and a home run and three driven in.

North Texas 9, Missouri 2
The Tigers again jumped ahead in the top of the first inning, scoring a pair of runs to take the early 2-0 lead. With runners on first and third, Catherine Lee singled into right-center field, scoring Jenna Marston who led off the game with a walk. Nicole Hudson doubled down the left field line with two outs, allowing Lee to come around and touch home.

North Texas took their first lead of the day with a three run first inning, capped by a two-run home run by Mariza Martinez. With the outfield playing shallow, Megan Rupp slapped a liner into the right-center field gap and got into third base with ease for a leadoff triple. After a pop out, Mallory Cantler flew out to center field, and Rupp scored just ahead of the throw at the plate to cut the Missouri lead to 2-1. Caitlin Grimes followed with a single into right, and Martinez hit her second home run of the day to give the Mean Green the 3-2 edge after one inning.

Both teams traded a pair of scoreless innings before the Mean Green extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth. A leadoff walk came back to bite the Tigers, as Lisa Johnson connected on a two-run home run for North Texas, her fifth of the year, to put them ahead 5-2.

Mizzou finally got a chance to chip away at the lead in the top of the fifth, but North Texas pitcher Brittany Simmons worked out of the jam. The Tigers put a runner on with a leadoff walk, and an error with two outs put runners on the corners with Fleming up as the tying run. However, Simmons got Fleming to pop out on the infield to end the threat.

Cantler hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to add a little insurance for the Mean Green, extending their lead to 6-2.

The Tigers got a couple of singles in the top of the sixth but couldn't get anything going. Lee led off with a single through the left side, but a double play cleared the bases. Schweisberger connected on a two out base hit, but she was left stranded as a ground out ended the inning.

A fourth home run by the Mean Green put them up big, as Brooke Foster blasted a three run homer for her first of the season. North Texas drew two walks in the inning before the home run, which came with two outs.

Nottelmann took the loss, her first of the season, to fall to 11-1 on the year. Lee and Schweisberger led the team with two hits each, while Lee and Hudson each drove home a run. The nine runs allowed is the most given up by the Tigers this season.

Missouri looks to get back on the winning side of things when they take on No. 17 Baylor in Big 12 action this weekend. The series opens at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday in Waco, Texas. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.