#12 @MizzouSoftball Splits Final Day at Mary Nutter Classic

Saturday, February 27

Cathedral City, Calif.

7:30 PM

University of Missouri

8-2

#7 Oregon

11-4

Mizzou

Oregon

#12 @MizzouSoftball Splits Final Day at Mary Nutter Classic

2/28/2016 3:04:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Tigers continue play in California next weekend at Judi Garman Tournament

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – No. 12 Mizzou Softball concluded its weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic on Saturday with an 8-7 extra-inning loss to No. 7 Oregon and 16-6 victory over BYU. The Tigers finished the three-day event with a 3-2 record and currently sit at 9-2 overall this season.

Mizzou's offense was impressive all weekend long, posting an outstanding .425 average with 52 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 47 RBI. Sophomore 3B Amanda Sanchez (West Covina, Calif.) and redshirt senior SS Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) each punished the ball over their five games, finishing with a robust .688 (11-for-16) and .650 (13-for-20) average, respectively.

Junior UT Chloe Rathburn (Mission Viejo, Calif.) tallied one final home run against BYU on Saturday, marking a team-leading four home runs and 14 RBI over the weekend. Senior RF Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) matched her career-high in RBI (five) vs. BYU to close out her impressive five-game stretch. Overall, Crane hit .538 with one double and eight RBI.

In game one against No. 7 Oregon, Mizzou raced out to a 7-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning. Following a scary moment in the circle for Lowary, Oregon's offense came alive and scored six runs in the bottom half of the fourth. One run in the fifth and eighth innings sealed the Ducks' comeback win over the Tigers.

Sanchez, Fagan and freshman 1B Rylee Pierce (Visalia, Calif.) each posted multi-hit games for Mizzou in the game one loss. In game two, the Tigers' offense exploded for 16 runs on 17 hits against BYU. Six Mizzou batters finished with multi-hit efforts while three others chipped in a single hit.

Freshman RHP Danielle Baumgartner (Mexico, Mo.) improved to 4-1 following the BYU win, allowing one earned run in 3.0 innings of work. Junior RHP Cheyenne Baxter (Norborne, Mo.) finished her strong weekend with 2.0 shutout frames against the Cougars.

KEY MOMENT (GAME 1)

Mizzou put up two runs in the first inning and four runs in the second inning to build a comfortable early lead over Oregon. Momentum suddenly shifted to the Ducks' side in the fourth inning as six runners crossed the plate to make it a ballgame. Oregon's ace pitcher came on in relief to limit Mizzou hitter to zero hits over 3.2 shutout innings.

TOP TIGERS

Sanchez: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, RBI
Pierce: 3-for-4, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Fagan: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI

KEY MOMENT (GAME 2)

The Tigers offense was relentless against BYU, scoring multiple runs in five of seven innings. Mizzou's three-run fourth inning, two-run sixth inning and six-run seventh inning sealed its fourth double-digit scoring output of the young season.

TOP TIGERS

Fagan: 4-for-5, career-high 4 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Crane: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, matched career-high 5 RBI
Baxter: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K

UP NEXT

Mizzou continues its west coast trip from March 3-5 at the Judi Garman Tournament in Fullerton, Calif. The Tigers will play five games in three days against a competitive field. On Thursday, March 3, Mizzou faces No. 2 Michigan at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and San Jose State at 3 p.m. (CT).

Friday, March 4, brings one afternoon game vs. No. 25 California at 4:30 p.m. (CT). Mizzou wraps up play on Saturday, March 5, with two more games. First, the Tigers square off against No. 17 Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. (CT) followed by a matchup against No. 24 Baylor at 10 p.m. (CT).

Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Softball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (University of Missouri Softball Team) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouSoftball).