Tigers pull out win against Northern Iowa

Despite only getting three hits, Missouri softball improves to 19-3.

By Greg Young

Published March 13, 2009

Because of forecasts throughout the day that showed the temperature below freezing, the Missouri softball was ready to play inside.

What it wasn't ready for was its game against Northern Iowa.

Although the Tigers defeated the Panthers 2-1 to improve their record to 19-3, they mustered only three hits against Northern Iowa's redshirt freshman pitcher Melissa Tillett and had no hit greater than a single the entire game.

After the game, Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine said he was frustrated at the team's lackluster effort against Northern Iowa, who dropped to 14-5 with the loss. The Tigers were outhit 8-3.

"The problem had everything to do with focus, we just weren't ready to play today," Earleywine said.

Missouri was carried by another dominant performance from freshman pitcher Chelsea Thomas, who, while allowing eight hits, only allowed one run to score and struck out eight Panthers. Thomas has been so dominant that despite allowing only one earned run, her ERA actually rose to 0.80 from 0.77.

But, her performance was almost matched completely by Tillet, who allowed only three hits and struck out six, holding the Tigers scoreless until the fifth inning.

"I think she pitched pretty well, we just didn't play well around her," Earleywine said.

The Tigers were able to score the first, and only runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when junior outfielder Gina Schneider hit a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

"I just went up there and tried to keep things simple," Schneider said.

Schneider has had a large turnaround in her junior season, improving her batting average from .109 to .409.

"The main thing is that she is playing with confidence," Earleywine said. "Over the fall, she made some mechanical adjustments and she started to get a few hits from it, so really the bottom line is that Gina is a player playing with confidence right now."

However, the Panthers didn't go away after the Tigers took the lead in the fifth. They struck back in the top of the sixth inning to close the deficit to one run after freshman infielder Mackenzie Daigh led off the inning with a double and was driven home by a sacrifice grounder from junior outfielder Rachel Gerking. Northern Iowa also led off the seventh inning with a single from senior infielder Brittney Balduf, but the Tigers were able to force a double play and the Panthers never threatened again.

"To sneak out of here with a win with absolutely no offensive production outside of Gina Schnieder is really saying something because they do have a good ball club," Earleywine said.

One common theme throughout was Thomas working through trouble. Despite allowing eight hits -- a season high -- Thomas was able to throw strikes when necessary, escaping two runners on in the second and fifth innings. Afterwards, Earleywine expressed frustration at the Tigers' infield defense, as all but three of Northern Iowa's hits didn't leave the infield.

"I was really focusing on hitting my spots," Thomas said.

Earleywine, while complimenting Thomas' ability to turn her pitching up to another level in key situations, also warned against elite competition; Thomas needs to pitch to her full ability all the time, he said.

"I think that good pitchers, when you get runners in scoring position, have that ability to move into another gear," Earleywine said. "Unfortunately sometimes they shift that gear a little too late."