Tigers rack up more wins on softball diamond

MU picked up three more wins over the weekend to push its record to 16-2.

By David Conway

Published March 16, 2010

Missouri softball racked up three wins in the Children's Hospital Invitational over the weekend, extending the team's winning streak to 14 on the back of a strong showing by the team's pitchers.

In Missouri's 3-1 victory over Illinois State (10-9) on Sunday, sophomore Chelsea Thomas dominated the Redbirds hitters from the game's beginning, striking out seven of the first nine batters she faced.

"Right away we talked about filling up the strike zone," Thomas said. "If you get ahead on a batter, it's really easy to tempt them with a not-so-great pitch, so I think that was our main focus, just to get ahead."

Thomas pitched a complete game, surrendering just one run on four hits while striking out a career high 14 hitters. On Friday, she pitched three scoreless innings to earn her ninth victory of the season against New Mexico (8-12).

After scoring five runs in the first two games, Missouri's offense finally erupted for a 9-1 run-rule victory in the tournament's final game against Bradley (9-10). Sending 10 hitters to the plate in the second inning, the Tigers scored five runs on four hits, one walk and a pair of hit-by-pitches. Freshman shortstop Jenna Marston knocked in three of those runs on her second home run of the year, bringing her team-leading RBI count to 18.

"It felt really good," Marston said. "We kind of struggled at the beginning of the weekend, but today it was nice to break out and score quite a few runs."

Coach Ehren Earleywine was pleased with the offense's performance in the Bradley game, attributing the turnaround to a shift in the team's outlook that will be crucial for future success.

"It wasn't mechanics,” Earleywine said. “It wasn't approach. It was just purely attitude.”

Sophomore Kristin Nottelmann played a crucial role in Missouri's command in the circle, pitching eight shutout innings in two games and earning her fourth victory on the year against Bradley.

The Tigers (16-2) allowed just one earned run over the weekend. Earleywine credited the pitching staff for keeping the Tigers afloat when the offense was dormant.

"When Chelsea's on the mound, we can beat anybody in the country," Earleywine said. "What I'm encouraged by is that (senior pitcher) Jana (Hainey) and Kristin are both giving us really solid innings, and that just means a comfort level for us when we don't want to wear Chelsea out."

Thomas' complete game came just four days after she was put on a 45-pitch limit due to forearm soreness. Earleywine said concerns about Thomas's arm haven't subsided but she has been feeling less pain with each successive outing.

"I think by Wednesday, when we play Wichita State, I think she'll probably be 95 percent, and I think by the next weekend she should be 100 percent," Earleywine said. "We're not out of the woods yet, but we're very happy with the progress she's made with her rehab"

Earleywine said despite the relative mediocrity of the competition, the tournament provided valuable experience for a team still working out some kinks.

"The thing that I was happy about this weekend was a lot of kids got opportunities, and some people got confidence that needed confidence," Earleywine said. "I think that's what this weekend really provided for us."