@MizzouSoftball Posts 6-0 Shutout Win Over Omaha

Wednesday, April 11

Columbia, Mo.

4 pm

University of Missouri

22-21

Omaha

14-26

Omaha

Mizzou

4/11/2018 7:02:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Rice goes the distance in the circle, limits Mavericks to only one hit

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Softball (22-21) cruised to its seventh shutout victory of the season Wednesday evening, as it defeated the visiting Omaha Mavericks, 6-0. Lauren Rice stole the show for the Tigers, allowing only one hit in the circle and retiring 18 consecutive batters to conclude the game.

Mizzou's offense produced a balanced attack at the plate, as seven individuals tallied a hit. Rylee Pierce led the way with her fifth three-hit performance this year. The Visalia, California, native recorded two doubles and three RBI on the day, as she made her season debut in the leadoff spot of the Tiger lineup.

#ShowMe Top Performers

Rice: (W) 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Pierce: 3-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB
Kolby Romaine: 1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI
Brooke Wilmes: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI

Hear From Coach Fogue

On Wednesday's shutout victory…

"First shout out of the day has to go to Lauren (Rice). She was consistently attacking the zone and really got in a groove after the first inning. We're a dangerous team, as we've shown multiple times this year when she's dealing in the circle. I think we played a pretty strong game across the board, as we didn't make any errors defensively and our offense saw production up and down the lineup. We obviously have another tough opponent this weekend in No. 8 Auburn, but I think our group feels real good about where we are right now."

#MIZ Takeaways

Rice allowed a one-out single in the first inning, but completely shut down Omaha's bats the rest of the evening. After surrendering a leadoff walk in the top half of the second, the Morrison, Illinois, native retired the next 18 batters she faced.
Wednesday marked Rice's third shutout this season. Her last occurred on March 24 at Arkansas, as she stymied the Razorbacks on only 78 pitches. The Tiger righty only needed 76 pitches today against Omaha.
Pierce matched her single-game career-high in hits for the sixth time. Five of the Tiger first baseman's six all-time three-hit performances have occurred this season.
Beginning with last weekend's series at Georgia, Pierce has been exceptionally locked-in at the plate of late. She has hit safely in four consecutive games, including three multi-hit outings.
Wilmes' RBI double in the sixth inning marked her team-leading 10th double this year. Three batters later however, Pierce stepped up to the plate and tallied her second double of the day and 10th of the season to make a two-way tie at the top of the category.
Romaine's two-run home run in the first inning gave Mizzou the early edge. The Tigers are now 16-3 this year when reaching the scoreboard first.

Up Next

Mizzou hosts No. 8 Auburn this Friday – Sunday (April 13-15) for another nationally ranked Southeastern Conference series. The series opener Friday evening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch. All three games of the weekend series will air live on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.

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).