Big First Inning Fuels Mizzou Softball to 9-0 Run-Rule Victory Over Arkansas

Friday, April 17

Fayetteville, Ark.

6:00PM

University of Missouri

29-10, 0

Arkansas

15-28, 0

Missouri

Arkansas

Big First Inning Fuels Mizzou Softball to 9-0 Run-Rule Victory Over Arkansas

4/17/2015 12:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

The Tigers plated six runs in the opening frame, including a two-run home run off the bat of Sami Fagan

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - No. 20 Mizzou Softball jumped out to a big lead early and cruised to a 9-0 series-opening victory over Arkansas in five innings on Friday night. The Tigers batted around and manufactured six runs in the first inning.

Junior Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) hit a two-run blast in the frame and went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. She's now reached base in a career-high 26 games.

Sophomore RHP Tori Finucane (Germantown, M.D) tossed a gem in the circle. The 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year tossed a complete-game shutout, tying her season-high with eight strikeouts. Finucane allowed just three hits and did not let a batter past second base in a dominant outing. She improved to 16-6 on the season and sliced her 2015 ERA to 2.99.

Junior Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.) drew a lead-off walk to begin the game and immediately swiped her 75th career base. Fellow junior Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) sprayed an RBI base knock to left, scoring Gadbois. An at-bat later, Fagan launched her two-run bomb that screamed over the right field wall and handed Mizzou a 3-0 lead three batters in to the game.

After three consecutive walks loaded the bases, a Razorback error plated another run. Then Gadbois, batting for the second time in the inning, slapped a single to left to balloon the Tigers' lead to 6-0.

Mizzou could not increase its advantage until the fifth inning, but Finucane's gem in the circle prevented any hope of an Arkansas comeback. The middle of the order came through again for Mizzou as back-to-back singles by Crane and Fagan and an error scored a Tiger run.

Later in the fifth, senior Corrin Genovese (East Amherst, N.Y.) lined a two-out double down the right field to drive in Fagan. Senior Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.) polished off Mizzou's offensive outburst with a sharp single to center that scored Genovese. Roth now has 130 career RBI, which is the eighth-most in school history.

The Tigers return to action against Arkansas at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday (April 18). For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouSoftball.