COLUMBIA, Mo. – Senior 1B Kelsea Roth hit a two-run double in the fifth to send the No. 12/13 Mizzou Softball to the NCAA Columbia Regional championship game after a 5-3 win over Kansas in the third game of the regional on Saturday. The Tigers (41-14), a perfect 2-0 in the Regional, play again Sunday, May 17, at Noon against a team to be determined.

Sophomore P Tori Finucane was credited with the win to up her 2015 record to an outstanding 21-8.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, sophomore RF Emily Crane got the Tigers rolling with a single to the third base side, her fifth hit in the regional. Junior 2B Sami Fagan walked, setting the stage for freshman DP Amanda Sanchez. The newcomer ripped a single up the middle to score Crane from second and knot the score at 3-3.

Sanchez has now tied Mizzou’s freshman RBI record with her total of 55 matching Micaela Minner’s mark from her 2005 season.

Following Sanchez, Roth laced a double down the third base line, scoring both Fagan and pinch runner Kayla Kingsley for a 5-3 Tiger advantage.

The game was closed shut by the glove of senior SS Corrin Genovese in the top of the seventh, who ranged to her right for a grounder deep in the hole. Genovese snared it with her mitt and relayed the ball to Fagan at second base to finish off the win.

The Jayhawks plated two runs in the top of the first to take a quick 2-0 advantage on the Tigers. After SS Chaley Brickey led off the game with a single, 3B Chanin Naudin launched a two-run home run to left, her ninth bomb of the year.

Fagan answered right back with a two-run homer of her own in the bottom of the first to even the score at 2-2. Fagan’s tater, the junior’s 12th of the year, knocked in RF Emily Crane, who singled one batter earlier. Fagan is now one RBI shy of tying Mary Babb’s single-season program record of 63.

A solo home run from Kansas DP Danielle Chavez gave the Jayhawks a 3-2 lead in the top of the third. Mizzou escaped further damage when Kansas CF Briana Evans grounded to third with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Both Crane and Sanchez tallied two hits each in the win. Crane is now hitting .714 (5-7) in the Regional and .486 (18-37) overall in career NCAA Tournament games.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou baseball dropped its regular season finale, 8-2, to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon (May 16) at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou finishes the regular season at 29-26 and 15-15 in SEC play while Kentucky improves to 30-24 and 14-15 in SEC play. UK starter Kyle Cody was fantastic, scattering just three Tiger hits over 7.0 shutout innings, striking out eight against just two walks, earning his fourth win of the season.

Mizzou starter Peter Fairbanks (St. Louis, Mo.) surrendered four earned runs over 1.2 innings as he was charged with his fifth loss of the season. It was just the second time this season that Fairbanks has allowed more than three earned runs in a start and his shortest outing of the season.

Senior Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) was the highlight for Mizzou on Saturday, allowing just one hit over 4.1 shutout innings, striking out two against one walk to keep the Tigers within striking distance.

Kentucky plated a run in the first inning on a no-out double by three-hole hitter JaVon Shelby. Fairbanks was able to pitch out of a second-and-third, nobody-out situation in the first to limit the damage to just one run, eventually stranding the bases loaded with after a two-out walk. But Kentucky knocked Fairbanks out of the game in the second, scoring three runs in the frame. Schwaab then came on in relief.

Cody ran into trouble in the fifth after a stellar first four innings. He loaded the bases with one out and worked a 3-2 count to Jake Ivory (St. Charles, Mo.). But Ivory bounced into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat. That was Mizzou’s only real threat in the game off of Cody.

Junior Zach Strecker relieved Cody in the eighth inning, and promptly got the first two outs before an infield hit by Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.). Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) then singled up the middle to put runners on the corners with two down. Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) then poked a single through the right side to put Mizzou on the board, his team-leading 16th two-out RBI.

Lefty Logan Salow was then brought out of the bullpen to face Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) who lined a full-count single back up the middle to cut the lead top 4-2. UK made another pitching change, bringing in Bo Wilson to face Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) and he got the freshman to strike out, stranding the tying runs on base.

UK got the two runs Mizzou scored in the eighth back in the ninth on a two-run homer by Evan White off of Tiger reliever Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.). Shelby then hit another two-run homer in the ninth to make the score 8-2. John Miles (Columbia, Mo.) stopped the bleeding, sending the game to the bottom of the ninth, but Mizzou couldn’t scratch anything across.

Mizzou will open the SEC Tournament next Tuesday in Hoover, Ala. It is Mizzou’s first SEC Tournament appearance since 2013.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 12/13 Mizzou softball team used a five-run fifth inning to carry the team to a 7-0 win over Indiana State Friday in the second game of the NCAA Softball Columbia Regional. The Tigers (40-14) advanced to the winner’s bracket and will face Kansas on Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. CT. The Sycamores (26-30) will take on Louisville in the loser’s bracket at 12:30 p.m.

RF Emily Crane recorded three of Mizzou’s 10 hits in the contest, upping her career NCAA Tournament average to .471 (16-34) in 11 Tournament games. CF Taylor Gadbois and 1B Kelsea Roth also added multi-hit performances with two singles apiece.

In the circle, P Tori Finucane allowed just two hits, struck out four batters and walked just one over 5.0 innings to earn her 20th win of the 2015 campaign. Over her last 11.0 innings, she has allowed only three hits and no runs in outings against Mississippi State and Indiana State.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Hits from CF Taylor Gadbois and RF Emily Crane and a walk from 2B Sami Fagan loaded the bases with no outs. DP Amanda Sanchez hit into a double play but drove Gadbois home to earn the RBI.

A five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run pinch hit home run from Jordan Zolman, opened a 6-0 Missouri advantage. Crane led off the inning with her third hit of the game and eventually advanced to third after a fielder’s choice from Sanchez and a walk from C Kirsten Mack. SS Corrin Genovese gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead when she drove in Crane and reached on a fielder’s choice. A single from 1B Kelsea Roth, her second hit of the contest, plated Sanchez for a 3-0 score. Zolman then broke the game open with her second career homer, driving in Genovese and Roth for the 6-0 Missouri lead.

Mizzou added its final run of the game in the sixth when Sanchez recorded her second RBI of the game with a single up the middle to score Gadbois from third.

The Tigers’ Cheyenne Baxter relieved Finucane in the circle in the sixth, not allowing a hit in two innings of relief.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou baseball evened its series with Kentucky on Friday night with a 6-3 win, highlighted by a sensational start from freshman righty Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.), who picked up his eighth win of the season. He was given the lead in the third inning as senior Jake Ivory (St. Charles, Mo.) – on his senior day – lifted a go-ahead, two-run homer over the wall in left to give Mizzou a lead it would not relinquish.

The Tigers also got a two-hit performance from Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.), who homered and tripled in the win. Mizzou goes to 29-24 on the season and 15-14 in SEC play while snapping a six-game skid. The win ensures the Tigers no less than a .500 record in SEC play.

Houck got into some trouble in the third inning, loading the bases with one out. He then induced a fielder’s choice off the bat of JaVon Shelby, plating a run for Kentucky, staking the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead after 2.5 innings. But Mizzou answered in its half of the third on Ivory’s Senior Day blast, a two-run shot off of UK starter Dustin Beggs over the wall in left. It was his fourth homer of the season.

Mizzou added to the lead on a two-out single by Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) who led off the frame with a double into the gap in left center. Kentucky got a run back in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout by Storm Wilson. But Mizzou answered in its half of the sixth with a Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) homer. It was his fourth of the season. Ring did it again in the eighth with an RBI triple, extending his team-leading extra-base hit total to 22. That made the score 5-2 and Mizzou added another run on an RBI single by Howard, giving Mizzou a 6-2 lead heading into the ninth.

After tossing a shutout eighth inning, junior closer Breckin Williams (Oronogo, Mo.) allowed a one-out, RBI double in the ninth, but that was all that UK could get off the Tiger closer, who picked up his school record 12th save of the season.

Mizzou will close the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Kentucky.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Kentucky starter Zack Brown tossed a complete-game shutout as the Wildcats took game one from the Missouri baseball team 1-0 on Thursday night at Taylor Stadium.

Brown out-dueled Mizzou starter Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.), who scattered just eight hits and one run over 8.0 innings, striking out four and walking just two. Brown was one run better, allowing just four hits and no walks while fanning five.

The win improves the Wildcats to 29-23 and 13-14 in SEC play while the Tigers fall to 28-25 and 14-14 in SEC play.

Junior Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games with a single and he was one of just four Tigers to record a hit in the loss. Sophomore Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.), freshman Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) and senior Jake Ivory (St. Charles, Mo.) also had hits for Mizzou. Ivory also played sensational defense, robbing a two-run homer from Thomas Bernal in the fifth inning with a leaping catch over the left field wall. He also gunned a runner at the plate in the sixth inning.

Kentucky got its lone run of the game in that fifth inning, following Ivory’s sensational catch. It was all set up by a leadoff double from Storm Wilson, who advanced to third on the homer-robbing catch by Ivory. Catcher Greg Fettes, the next batter up, laced a single through the left side to bring Wilson home for the go-ahead run.

The Tigers got just two runners to second base on the night – Ivory in the sixth after he was bunted over following a lead-off single and Ring in the ninth, who singled and advanced into scoring position on a groundout by Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.). Ring eventually got to third base on a wild pitch. Lester worked a 2-0 count, but Brown battled back to strikeout the Tigers’ top RBI man with the tying run 90 feet from home.

Mizzou will be back in action Friday at 6:05 p.m. in game two of the Kentucky series.

— MU Sports Information —

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 21 Mizzou baseball jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run, first-inning homer from junior Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.), but could not hold on as No. 1 LSU completed a 6-5, walk-off win on Sunday afternoon (May 10) at Alex Box Stadium. The loss drops the Tigers to 28-24 on the season and 14-13 in SEC play. Mizzou has lost just three SEC series all season, all three coming to teams that have been ranked No. 1 on the season at some point. All three series were on the road.

Mizzou jumped all over LSU starter Kyle Bauman in the first inning. Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) drew a one-out walk in front of an infield single from Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.). Bauman then fell behind Lester, 2-1, and the junior made him pay with a three-run shot over the right centerfield fence, good for his team-leading seventh homer of the season. LSU immediately changed pitchers, bringing in freshman Austin Bain.

Mizzou starter Peter Fairbanks (St. Louis, Mo.) needed just 10 pitches to work around a two-out error in the first as he looked very sharp. He then put together 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, needing just 32 pitches to move the game through three innings. LSU finally got to Fairbanks in the fourth, tallying two runs on five hits and nearly got another run as Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) threw out the tying run at the plate for our No. 3.

A pair of walks came back to haunt Fairbanks in the fifth as LSU took the lead on RBI singles by Conner Hale and Kade Scivicque, both coming off of reliever Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) who took over for Fairbanks following the walks.

Howard tied the game in the sixth with a solo shot, his fifth homer of the year and second in as many games. LSU got the run back on a Chris Chinea homer to take a 5-4 lead into the seventh inning. Mizzou threatened in the frame, putting runners on first and second with two down, but Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) struck out swinging to end the threat.

Mizzou got the leadoff man on in the eight on a Ring single, but he was erased on a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Howard. In the ninth, Lavy singled and took second on a fielding error by Danny Zardon, bring Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) to the plate with the tying run in scoring position. Benes roped a double into left to score Lavy and tie the game.

Breckin Williams (Oronoro, Mo.) then worked around a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth against the top of the LSU order. Mizzou had a golden opportunity in the 10th with a leadoff double by Peel and a single by Ring, putting runners on the corners with one out. Howard grounded out to short and Lester was intentionally walked to load the bases for Harris. But the freshman hit into a 5-3 double play to end the threat.

That gave LSU the momentum as it opened its half of the 10th with a pair of hits. Jake Fraley then singled in the winning run with runners on the corners.

Mizzou will be back in action Thursday in its final regular season series of 2015 against Kentucky. First pitch for that game will be at 6 p.m. from Taylor Stadium.

— MU Sports Information —

BATON ROUGE, LA.  – The #13 Missouri Tigers (39-14) were eliminated from the 2015 SEC Tournament Thursday morning with a 5-2 loss to the #7 Auburn Tigers (47-9).  Mizzou took a 1-0 first inning lead on a two-out single by senior SS Corrin Genovese, but that was all the Tigers could muster in the inning, despite loading the bases.

Mizzou outhit Auburn 6-4 and also drew five walks and a hit batter, but stranded six runners and couldn’t scratch out a key hit after the first inning.  Mizzou also committed two errors which contributed to a pair of Auburn runs on the day and had a pair of runners thrown out at the plate attempting to score.

Trailing 5-1 late in the game, Mizzou mounted a rally in the sixth, loading the bases with one out on a pair of singles and a walk, but was limited to one run as sophomore C Kirsten Mack scored from third base on a wild pitch.  Genovese was cut down at the plate to end the rally trying to score after tagging on a fly ball to left field.

Freshman LHP Paige Lowary (18-5) was solid in defeat, holding the potent Auburn attack to just four hits while striking out five.  Two of the Auburn runs which scored were unearned against her.  Lowary retired the first six batters she faced on the day before allowing a batter to reach.

For the second straight day, Genovese gave Mizzou an early lead, with a two-out, RBI single that scored junior 2B Sami Fagan with the bases loaded.  Freshman PR Sydney Sprague was thrown out to end the inning trying to score from second.  Fagan walked with two outs and the bases empty in the inning, and advanced to third after freshman DP Amanda Sanchez was hit by a pitch and sophomore C Kirsten Mack walked to load the bases.

Auburn tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third with a leadoff homerun and added two runs on just one hit in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.  Auburn benefitted from a hit batter, a walk and a Tiger error in the frame, with the runs scoring on an error and a fielder’s choice groundout.  Auburn extended their lead to 5-1 in the fifth after a walk, a pair of infield singles and a throwing error.

A day after hitting three home runs in a 9-0 win over Mississippi State, the Tigers were held to six singles, getting safeties from Genovese and Mack, senior 1B Kelsea Roth, junior CF Taylor Gadbois, and senior 3B Angela Randazzo.

Mizzou, ranked #9 in this week’s Ratings Percentage Index rankings, will await its NCAA Tournament seed, with the brackets set to be announced Sunday evening at 10 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —