Cathedral City, Calif. - The Mizzou Softball team improved to 6-1 on the season with a pair of wins Thursday night at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., claiming a 6-2 victory over Long Beach State, which followed a 10-2 win earlier in the night in five innings over Cal State-Fullerton.
In the nightcap, Mizzou jumped on top with two first-inning runs, before making it 4-0 with two more in the fourth. After Long Beach cut the Tiger lead in half with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth, Mizzou got separation with single runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth to account for the final score in support of winning pitcher Paige Lowary, who improved to 3-0 on the season.
The Tiger offense supported Lowary with a 12-hit attack, including one each from all nine starters for the second-straight game Thursday. Junior CF Taylor Gadbois led the way with two hits and a run scored in the leadoff spot, and she was joined in the two-hit club by senior SS Corrin Genovese, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a handful of nice plays in the field.
Junior C Sami Fagan launched her fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the third inning which gave Mizzou a 3-0 lead. Fagan now has four home runs this season after having three combined in her first two years as a collegian. The Tigers claimed a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when freshman 3B Amanda Sanchez reached on a two-out error by the pitcher, with two runs scoring on the error.
After Fagan's homer in the third, sophomore 2B Natalie Fleming singled home freshman pinch runner Sydney Sprague for a 4-0 lead that stood up for starting pitcher Lowary, who worked 4.0 complete innings and allowed just two hits while striking out 7 49ers. She gave way to sophomore RHP Cheyenne Baxter, who worked 3.0 scoreless innings of one-hit relief to earn her second save of the season.
After Long Beach rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth, Mizzou struck back in the bottom of the frame, when junior RF Emily Crane singled sharply to left field, with Gadbois coming around to score from second base when the left fielder booted the ball for an error. The Tigers extended the lead back to four with another single run in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman OF Morgan Walters, who made her 2015 debut tonight, after missing the opening weekend with an ankle injury, singled in her first collegiate at bat to begin the fifth. After she moved up to second base on a ground out by senior C Alyssa Cousins, Walters came around to score on Genovese's single up the middle.
The Tigers will look to extend a four-game winning streak Friday as they square off against former Big 12 Conference rival Texas, at 7:30 p.m. central time, followed by a nightcap game against UCLA, scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. central first pitch. Stay tuned to www.MUTigers.com for more coverage of Mizzou Tiger Softball!