University of Missouri
Ohio State
Strong Citrus Classic Finish for No. 17 Mizzou Softball
3/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 2, 2014
|
#17 Mizzou 7, Ohio State 0 |
Time: 2:09 Att.: 380 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | F | |
| MIZZOU | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| W - Finucane (5-2) | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| L - DiDomenico (3-2) | 3.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Hitting Leaders | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | HR |
| MIZ - Fagan (2-for-4) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| MIZ - Sykes (2-for-4) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - No. 17 Mizzou Softball concluded its trip to the Citrus Classic in style, shutting out Ohio State, 7-0, to improve to 12-3 overall in 2014. The Tigers went 5-0 in their games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, winning against Bradley (1-0), Syracuse (9-7 in eight innings), Illinois State (11-10) and Radford (7-1).
Head coach Ehren Earleywine's squad was powered to the win over the Buckeyes (6-9) by 2-for-4 batting performaces from both redshirt sophomore SS Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) and senior OF Mackenzie Sykes (Blue Springs, Mo.). Sykes smacked her third home run of the season to start Mizzou's scoring in the top of the third inning, a three-run shot that scored Fagan and junior 3B/C Angela Randazzo (Poway, Calif.). Sykes finished the game with four RBI, while Fagan finished with two RBI after she knocked in two runs with a single to center field for a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning.
The Tigers added additional runs in the fifth and sixth innings, first with junior IF Corrin Genovese (East Amherst, N.Y.) recording a single to left field to score Sykes from third base in the fifth. Sykes picked up her fourth RBI in the top of the sixth thanks to a single to left field that scored sophomore 2B/OF Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) to set the final score of 7-0.
Redshirt sophomore 2B Ashtin Stephens (Blue Springs, Mo.) was perfect at the plate, batting 2-for-2 with one run scored and one walk. Both redshirt sophomore OF Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.) and junior 1B Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.) finished the game with two walks.
Freshman P Tori Finucane (Germantown, Md.) pitched 7.0 innings of shutout softball for the win (5-2), striking out two batters and allowing just five hits to Ohio State.
Strong tournament performances were had by Gadbois and Crane, who batted .556 (10-for-18) and .550 (11-for-20) over Mizzou's five wins, respectively. Gadbois went 5-for-5 on steal attempts, whle Crane led the Tigers with nine RBI, including two home runs. Crane was responsible for the game-winning, two-RBI single vs. Illinois State.
Freshman P/OF/1B Casey Stangel (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) went 4-0 in the circle for the Tigers during the Citrus Classic, with two starts and five total appearances to her credit.
Mizzou next heads into Southeastern Conference action at Texas A&M, beginning Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m., and continuing on Saturday, March 8, at 4 p.m. The Tigers and Aggies finish the series on Sunday, March 9, at noon.
The Tigers' first home contests of the 2014 season will be against SEC foe Kentucky from March 14-16 at University Field. Season ticket renewals are currently ongoing, along with additional season ticket requests being taken. More information can be found here. Contact the Mizzou Ticket Office by phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-7297 in Mid-Missouri).
