Missouri softball sweeps Baylor

Pitchers Hainey and Muller shut down the Bears.

By Zach Mink

Published May 4, 2010

The No. 10 Tigers closed out their home schedule with a two-game sweep of Baylor this weekend.

The Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in game one, but that was all they would get as pitchers senior Jana Hainey and freshman Lindsey Muller would combine to shut down the Bears for the remainder of the game. Hainey earned her eighth win of the season, throwing five innings and allowing two runs.

The Tigers scored five runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from freshman designated player Nicole Hudson. It was all Missouri from there, as the Tigers would add on two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.

Junior outfielder Rhea Taylor continued to excel on offense, going 2-for-3 with two triples and two runs. Sophomore first baseman Ashley Fleming also led the offense, going 3-for-3 on the day.

Fleming, who has swung a very hot bat for the Tigers as of late, said she has been calmer at the plate.

"I had a lot of opportunities last year and at the beginning of this year, but the difference now is that I'm more relaxed," Fleming said. "I've got a year under my belt, and I've gotten used to what its like facing D-1 pitchers."

The Tigers struck early in game two, scoring two runs on two hits in the first inning. Taylor started off the rally with a single to right field, extending her hitting streak to 16 games. A walk and a hit batter later, Fleming drove in Taylor with a sacrifice fly to left field. The Tigers would get one more run on a single from junior outfielder Shana White.

Baylor answered back in the third inning, tying up the game 2-2. The Tigers would bounce back with two more runs on RBIs by White and Hudson.

Coach Ehren Earleywine was happy with what he saw out of Hudson.

"Nicole looked good today," Earleywine said. "She's got electric stuff, and she found the barrel twice today and a time or two yesterday. I've seen her literally carry offenses before, and I'll definitely take what I can get right now."

The Tigers pulled away in the fourth inning after a Baylor run cut the lead to 4-3. Junior catcher Catherine Lee blasted a two-run homer to ignite the offense, followed by a double from freshman shortstop Jenna Marston. This set the stage for a two-run blast from Fleming, pushing the lead to 8-3.

Fleming and Marston went a combined 4-for-5 with five RBIs on the day. Marston expressed her happiness at the success of the offense.

"It's great," Marston said. "The more people that are hitting, the more runs you are going to score. Everyone likes to score runs, and that's how you win ballgames."

The Tigers tacked on three more runs in the fifth, extending the lead to 11-4. Baylor would score two in the seventh, but it would not be enough, as the Tigers would win by a final score of 11-6. Sophomore pitcher Kristin Nottelmann secured her 16th win of the season for the Tigers.

Missouri (41-9, 9-6 Big 12) is on the road for the rest of the regular season, and resumes play with a doubleheader May 5 against Western Illinois.