COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — No. 15 Missouri used a pair of two-run home runs Saturday to claim a 6-3 win against Kansas in the third game of the Columbia Regional of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

The Tigers (43-16) now advance to today’s regional championship game at noon.

“Obviously we’re very pleased to being in the winner’s bracket, it’s a difference maker especially when you’re running on two arms,” Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine said. “I’m proud of our girls and I’m looking forward to playing for another regional championship (today).”

Kirsten Mack and Angela Randazzo both connected with two-run blasts in the contest. Randazzo was 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Mackenzie Sykes, Corrin Genoves, Sami Fagan and Emily Crane all had two hits apiece to help lead Missouri at the plate.

“I think we all knew that we all needed to step up as a team,” Randazzo said. “One person can’t carry the whole team. We needed to step up today and we did.”

Mack’s two-run homer gave Missouri a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, and the Tigers didn’t look back from there.

“I personally thought that that was the backbreaker,” Earleywine said. “That was the at-bat that personified the entire game. It gave us two quick runs and I felt the steam come out of them after that happened. We just added on to that.”

Casey Stangel improved to 15-9 on the year, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out one in seven innings.

“I felt like Casey had better command today than she did yesterday,” Earleywine said. “Her velocity looked a little better, too. I had more confidence late in the game today than I did yesterday. The beauty of it is Casey has a very outward personality, she’s very charismatic and outgoing.”

Missouri outhit the Jayhawks (34-22) 13-7, but the Tigers committed three errors, which led to two unearned runs.

“Obviously I’m disappointed with the outcome,” Kansas coach Megan Smith said. “I thought our team fought to the end, which was nice to see. A lot of credit goes to Missouri, a lot of respect to their program and their talent. They played a really good game.”

— Associated Press —

Mizzou Basketball announced that freshman guard Shane Rector will transfer out of the program. The Bronx, N.Y., native played in 23 games last season, averaging 0.5 points and 0.3 rebounds per game.

“I understand Shane’s desire for extended playing time and will do whatever I can to assist him in this process,” Head Coach Kim Anderson said. “I certainly want to thank Shane for his time at Missouri and want to wish him and his family all the best.”

One of Rector’s top games came in the SEC Tournament win over Texas A&M. He recorded three steals, hit 3-of-4 free throws and grabbed two rebounds in the final four minutes of the second overtime to help the Tigers to the 91-83 victory.

“I appreciate Coach Anderson and the administration at Missouri for supporting me as I look for a new opportunity,” Rector said. “This was a difficult decision because I have made some great friends during my time here. Mizzou is a great University with great people. This was just a personal decision that my family and I felt was in my best interest.”

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou Basketball Head Coach Kim Anderson continued to add to his coaching staff on Tuesday as he announced the hiring of Brad Loos as an assistant coach.

Loos, 35, spent 12 seasons with Anderson at the University of Central Missouri and was the program’s Associate Head Coach over his final five years in Warrensburg. The Mules accumulated an impressive 274-95 record in those 12 seasons overall and won 116 games his five years as Associate Head Coach, which included the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship.

“I am very pleased to add Brad to our coaching staff and know our student-athletes and our fans will enjoy getting to know him, his wife Jennifer and their children, Brady, Rhyan and Charli,” Anderson said. “Brad was an instrumental part in our recruiting and player development at Central Missouri. He understands how we will build our program’s culture and what it takes every day from a player development standpoint to get the maximum out of our young men in practice and in the classroom.”

A native of Clarksville, Tenn., Loos began his career as a graduate assistant at UCM in 2002 and was quickly elevated to a full-time assistant role two years later. He was instrumental in the success of the Mules as a part of three NCAA Final Fours, six MIAA regular season championships, four MIAA tournament titles, and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

Loos also recruited numerous all-conference and all-region performers, as well as three All-Americans for the program. Last season UCM welcomed 10 newcomers to its National Championship roster and Loos played a key role in attracting that talent to Warrensburg.

“I want to thank Coach Anderson, Mike Alden and everyone affiliated with Missouri Basketball for this incredible opportunity,” Loos said. “Our family has deep respect for Mizzou and what the program means, not just within the state, but nationally as well. I look forward to working with our student-athletes and our staff and am ready to get to work to help our young men reach their maximum potential.”

Loos is the son of current Austin Peay State Basketball Head Coach Dave Loos and was a student assistant coach for the Governors after playing four years for his father. Loos was an outstanding student-athlete, and was named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll four times as a player, and was the top basketball scholar-athlete for three years.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay in 2002 with a 3.8 grade-point average in Health and Human Performance. He received a master’s degree from UCM in Sports Administration in 2004.

— MU Sports Information —

University of Missouri football standout Kony Ealy (New Madrid, Mo.) was selected tonight in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers, who took the defensive lineman with the 28th pick of the round (60th overall pick in the draft).

Ealy is the latest in a proud lineage of Tiger defensive linemen to be taken in the NFL Draft in recent years, joining Sheldon Richardson (2013 1st round pick by the New York Jets), Aldon Smith (2011 1st round pick by the San Francisco 49ers), Ziggy Hood (2009 1st round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers) as high-round picks.

Mizzou’s most recent second round pick prior to Ealy’s selection was in 2009 when former safety William Moore was taken with the 55th overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons. Ealy also goes down as the second Tiger to ever be picked by Carolina, joining Atiyyah Ellison, who was drafted by the Panthers with the 25th pick in the third round (89th overall) of the 2005 draft.

Ealy had a breakout junior season for Mizzou in 2013, as he earned 1st-Team All-SEC honors while he helped lead the Tigers to a 12-2 season and SEC Eastern Division and Cotton Bowl championships.  Ealy registered 43 tackles in 14 games (starting all 14) and was among league leaders in both tackles for loss (14.5) and quarterback sacks (9.5).  He also led the Tiger defense in quarterback pressures (14) and forced fumbles (3), including one in the SEC Championship Game against Auburn that was returned by teammate E.J. Gaines for a touchdown.  He also broke up six passes on the year (second on the team), and returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown in a road win at Indiana.

Ealy marks the 24th player to be drafted at Mizzou under Head Coach Gary Pinkel (2002-present).  He is the eighth player under Pinkel to be taken in the first two rounds.  That updated list now includes:

— MU Sports Information —

University of Missouri football’s Justin Britt (Lebanon, Mo.) was selected tonight in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, who took the offensive lineman with the 32nd pick of the round (64th overall pick in the draft). Britt’s selection was the second of the evening for former Mizzou players, joining defensive end Kony Ealy (Carolina, 2nd Round, 28th, 60th).

Britt and Ealy combined for two Tiger second-rounders for the first time since 1981, when running back James Wilder went to Tampa Bay with the round’s sixth pick (34th overall) and defensive back Eric Wright was selected by San Francisco with the 12th pick (40th overall).

Britt’s selection is the highest a Tiger offensive lineman has been drafted under Head Coach Gary Pinkel (2002-present).  It marks the highest OL pick since tackle John Clay went to Oakland with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Britt marks the 25th player to be drafted at Mizzou under Pinkel, and he is the ninth player under Pinkel to be taken in the first two rounds.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou Basketball Head Coach Kim Anderson announced his first signing on Monday as D’Angelo Allen (Dallas, Texas / Kimball), a 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward, signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Missouri and play basketball for the Tigers next season.

Known for his athleticism and defensive versatility, Allen was a part of three Texas Class 4A State Championship teams and helped the Knights reach four consecutive state title games, winning it all in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

“We are excited to add D’Angelo to our family here at Missouri,” Head Coach Kim Anderson said. “D’Angelo is an outstanding young man and comes from an tremendous program at Dallas Kimball High School. He has a winner’s mentality and helped his team to three state titles in four years, so he does whatever it takes to help his team win. He can score, rebound, defend and block shots, and I really appreciate his willingness to put team success over his personal accolades. He is going to be a great addition to our program.”

Allen led Kimball back to the state title game in 2014, scoring 11 points and blocking five shots in a 60-56 semifinal win over Beaumont Central. The athletic wing blocked a potential game-tying shot with just 20 seconds left in regulation to start a fast break and help the Knights ice the four-point victory. Allen continued his great all-around play in the state championship game, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four more shots in a 52-37 win over Amarillo. The victory helped Head Coach Royce Johnson’s Knights finish the year 25-7.

“D’Angelo is a bit of a sleeper prospect nationally, but he is a talented young man that is known well throughout our state,” TexasBoysBasketball.com Recruiting Analyst Alan Branch said. “He started games at Dallas Kimball from his freshman season and that’s a program that played for four straight state championships, winning three during his career, so that tells you about his makeup as a player. He’s won more than 100 games in his career, so he’s played under the bright lights and won a lot of big time games over his career. Missouri is getting a winner and a competitor. He is one of the few players that takes as much pride on the defensive end of the court as he does scoring the basketball. He is a very good on-ball and help defender. His versatility and toughness will help him succeed at the next level. On my list, I will have him in the Top 10 prospects in our state and that includes five McDonald’s All-Americans in this class. This is a banner year for high school basketball in the state of Texas and that includes D’Angelo Allen.”

For his efforts, Allen was named to the Class 4A State Championship All-Tournament Team and accomplished the rare feat of playing in four consecutive Texas Class 4A state title games. He also finished his career as Kimball’s all-time leader in career starts, breaking the mark once held by former Texas A&M star, Acie Law IV. In addition to his All-Tournament accolades, Allen was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A All-Star Team as a senior and was an All-Region II pick. He finished the year averaging 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Knights as a senior.

Allen will be a freshman on the Mizzou roster in 2014-15 and selected the Tigers over Oklahoma, Marquette, Houston and Georgetown.

— MU Sports Information —