Thomas perfect again as Tigers roll
Mere days after becoming the first Missouri softball pitcher in nine years to toss a perfect game, redshirt sophomore Chelsea Thomas reached perfection again Sunday. Thomas allowed no base runners over six innings of work in an 11-0 win over Missouri State in the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness tournament. With the victory, Thomas improved to 3-2 on the season.
Thomas struck out 15 of the 18 batters she faced, setting a school record for most strikeouts in a non-extra innings game. It was her second perfect game in five days, and came only a day after junior Kristin Nottelmann pitched a no-hitter of her own. Thomas has a miniscule 0.60 earned run average with 57 strikeouts and only five walks after returning from a stress fracture injury that cost her most of last season.
The Tiger offense gave her eleven runs of support on a season-best 15 hits, run-ruling Missouri State through six innings. Junior Marla Schweisberger went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and six runs batted in, while freshman Maddison Ruggeberg added three runs on three hits of her own. Ruggeberg is batting .409 and leads the team with a .773 slugging percentage in only 22 at bats.
Nottelmann took the mound against UM-Kansas City in the second game of the doubleheader, striking out three in four innings to earn her sixth win of the season. Junior Ashley Fleming drove in all three runs, and that was enough for Missouri to close the tournament with a 3-0 over UMKC. The Tigers went undefeated in the tournament, outscoring their competition 31-0 and improving to 11-3 on the year. They take on Arkansas at home on Wednesday afternoon.