Softball clinches second seed in Big 12

The Tigers offense kicked in during the third inning, scoring five runs.

By Greg Young

Published May 5, 2009

The Tigers' offense has struggled in four straight losses, but Sunday against Nebraska, they went back to what's worked for them all season -- the running game.

The Tigers swiped two bases to spark its offense to gain five runs in the decisive third inning, splitting a critical doubleheader with the Cornhuskers. The Tigers won the game Sunday, 5-0.

With the win, Missouri clinched the second seed in the upcoming Big 12 Championships.

All of the Tigers offense came in the third inning, off of an RBI walk and a grand slam by senior infielder Lindsey Ubrun. But none of that would have mattered if the Tigers were unsuccessful on two steal attempts in the inning by sophomore outfielders Rhea Taylor and Shauna White.

Offensive pressure was critical in a game where Missouri only had one hit leave the infield -- the grand slam by Ubrun. The home run by Ubrun, which was her team-leading 14th of the season, came after sophomore catcher Megan Christopher walked in the Tigers' first run of the game.

Initially, Ubrun's ball looked like a routine, albeit towering, fly ball, but the wind, which was blowing out of left field the entire game, helped guide it toward the fence.

"I was hoping," Ubrun said. "I thought I might have hit it a little too high."

Coach Ehren Earleywine said pressure on the base paths is important to the Tigers' offense, and it's something they've missed the last few games.

"That's kind of what ignites our offense," Earleywine said. "It's a part of who we are."

Earleywine said the main problem wasn't the Tigers getting caught on the base paths, but the Tigers couldn't get their key base stealers on base.

"In order to steal, you have to have the right people on base," Earleywine said. "Unfortunately in the last couple of weeks we haven't had those kind of opportunities we'd like."

The Tigers offense was only a part of the story. The other was the return of freshman pitcher Chelsea Thomas, who pitched seven shutout innings for the Tigers in the win.

Thomas, who has been plagued by injuries since the middle of March, said she felt almost recovered.

"I'm almost completely back," Thomas said. "I felt really good today."

Thomas was completely dominant the entire game, allowing three hits and striking out eight Nebraska batters. But perhaps more important was that afterward, Thomas said she finally felt "comfortable" on the mound, as none of the defensive miscues that plagued Thomas after her injury occurred in the win.

"I am definitely on the rise again," Thomas said. "I feel that I am almost completely back to who I'm ready to be."

With the win, the Tigers clinched the second seed in the Big 12 tournament and will play the winner of Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in the second round Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Thomas said Missouri is past its bad stretch and can now build toward the NCAA playoffs.

"We got it out of our system, and we've kind of regrouped," Thomas said. "We are definitely going to come out and take over the Big 12 tournament."