COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 24 Mizzou Softball (9-7) ended the second night of the 2017 Mizzou Tournament with its second consecutive doubleheader split. The Tigers beat Maryland 2-0 in game one, but fell again to No. 4 Oregon, 7-2, in their final game of the evening.
Game One (vs. Maryland)
To begin the day, Mizzou and Maryland were scoreless after three full innings, as both pitching staffs effectively kept the other team at bay. Mizzou made plenty of contact early on, but ultimately left eight runners on base.
The Tigers' offense finally broke through in the fourth inning, as sophomore Rylee Pierce (Visalia, Calif.) raced home following a costly Terrapins throwing error.
Mizzou's bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as well, beginning with Pierce notching her second hit of the game with a double to left-center. Sophomore Kolby Romaine (Chino Hills, Calif.) followed with an RBI single to shallow centerfield, driving in Pierce.
Redshirt sophomore Madi Norman (Tipton, Mo.) pitched 6.0 shutout innings in the circle for Mizzou, earning her team-leading fifth victory. She finished with five strikeouts, while allowing zero walks and only three hits.
Sophomore Danielle Baumgartner (Mexico, Mo.) tossed a perfect sixth inning in relief, contributing to the Tigers' fourth combined shutout this season.
Game Two (vs. No. 4 Oregon)
Oregon's bats arrived early in game two of Mizzou's twin-billing, registering six hits and three runs through two innings of play.
Following three hitless innings, the Tigers gained energy in the fourth when junior Amanda Sanchez (West Covina, Calif.) opened the frame with a sharp single to right. Senior Kristen Mack (Riverside, Calif.) followed with a hit of her own and Mizzou suddenly saw its best scoring opportunity of the game thus far.
Freshman Cayla Kessinger (Saugus, Calif.) and Romaine each recorded an RBI later in the inning, trimming the Ducks' advantage to only one run. Unfortunately, momentum quickly shifted back to Oregon after its three-hole hitter delivered a three-run home run to left. The Ducks produced another run later in the fifth inning, resulting in the final 7-2 triumph over Mizzou.
Hear From the Tigers
Norman on finishing the Tigers' game one victory against Maryland…
"It was nice to see Danielle (Baumgartner) go in there before me (sixth inning) and shut them down. Then I came in there (seventh inning) and closed it out. It was a good feeling. I primarily threw my drop ball and it was working well. It was pretty effective. It's a good feeling to contribute to the team's win."
Head Coach Ehren Earleywine on Norman emerging as team's early-season ace…
"It was after the season started. All of our pitchers have good stuff, but the thing that separates ace softball pitchers is mentality. Their makeup. We didn't know she (Norman) had that type of makeup until two weeks into the season. We saw that she gets after it out there. She wants the ball and she's super competitive. That's her edge."
Up Next
The 2017 Mizzou Tournament concludes on Sunday, March 5, with one last doubleheader. The Tigers will face Maryland and Butler in consecutive games at the new Mizzou Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (CT) and 3 p.m. (CT), respectively.
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