University of Missouri
New Mexico State
#15 @MizzouSoftball Posts Doubleheader Sweep Over New Mexico State
3/19/2016 10:19:00 PM | Softball
Tigers finish three-game series on Sunday, March 20
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – No. 15 Mizzou Softball (19-4) earned a doubleheader sweep on Saturday over New Mexico State, posting 23 runs on 24 hits against Aggies pitching. The Tigers held off a late New Mexico State comeback in game one with a 9-6 victory and cruised to a 14-3 game two win.
Redshirt senior Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) and senior Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) were incredible at the plate over the two games. Fagan went a combined 5-for-7 (.714 AVG) with four runs scored, two home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases. Additionally, her five hits moved her into third place in all-time Mizzou Softball career hits. Crane recorded a team-high six hits (.750 AVG) with three runs scored, one home run and four RBI.
Fagan put Mizzou on top in game one with a towering first inning solo home run. The Tigers added on five runs, all with two outs, in the second inning. Freshman Regan Nash (Camden Point, Mo.) tallied her eighth RBI of the year on a base hit and Fagan followed that with a three-run home run off the scoreboard.
Fagan's second blast of the game marked the third multi-home run outing of her career. The home run also secured Fagan's ninth multi-hit and seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
Mizzou held a 7-0 advantage in the fourth inning before the Aggies broke through with five runs. New Mexico State made it a one-run ballgame with another run in the fifth inning. The Tigers produced two big insurance runs in the sixth following RBI singles by junior Chloe Rathburn (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Crane.
Sophomore Paige Lowary (Dallas Center, Iowa) closed the door in game one with three shutout innings. Lowary was virtually unhittable, producing a season high eight strikeouts in relief. Fagan, Rathburn and Crane each recorded multi-hit games in Mizzou's game one triumph.
Game two saw Mizzou strike first again with Fagan ripping a first inning RBI single to left. In the top half of the third inning, junior Natalie Fleming (Silex, Mo.) recorded her first home run of the year with a blast over the center field fence.
The Tigers put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, pushing four runners across the plate. Crane secured her second three-hit game of the day with a two-RBI single. Mizzou added two more in the sixth, highlighted by Fleming's second home run of the game.
Mizzou's offense finished off its impressive game two performance with a six-run seventh inning. Sophomore Morgan Walters (Gainesville, Ga.), sophomore Amanda Sanchez (West Covina, Calif.), Fagan and Rathburn each recorded run-producing hits to key the explosive inning.
Lowary kept the momentum rolling from her game one appearance, allowing one earned run over 6.0 strong innings in game two. The Tiger lefty earned the win in both matchups on Saturday, extending her team-best winning streak to six games.
KEY MOMENT (GAME 1)
Mizzou built a 7-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. New Mexico State responded with six runs in two frames to suddenly make it a slim one-run lead for the Tigers.
In the sixth inning, Mizzou received much needed insurance runs with RBI singles by Rathburn and Crane. Lowary took care of the rest in the circle for Mizzou, recording five of her eight strikeouts over the last two innings.
TOP TIGERS (GAME 1)
- Fagan: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB
- Lowary: (W, 10-2) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K (season high)
- Crane: 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
KEY MOMENT (GAME 2)
The Tigers led 2-0 as they went to bat in the fourth inning. Mizzou scored four runs in the fourth to extend its lead to 6-0. New Mexico State managed single runs in three separate innings but the Tigers' two runs in the sixth inning and six runs in the seventh inning put the Aggies in too big of a hole.
TOP TIGERS (GAME 2)
- Lowary: (W, 11-2) 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K
- Fleming: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI
- Fagan: 3-for-4, R, 3 RBI, SB
UP NEXT
Mizzou closes its three-game set at New Mexico State on Sunday, March 20. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT) and the game will broadcast live on ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@MizzouSoftball) and StatBroadcast.com.
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).
