The No. 12 Missouri Tigers softball team knew what was at stake this weekend: Take care of business against Texas A&M and it could further solidify its spot near the top of the Big 12 standings.
Missouri did just that, sweeping the No. 20 Aggies in two games during the weekend to extend its nation-best home winning streak to 30 games. The Tigers (32-5) improved to 7-1 in conference play (second best behind only the 7-0 Texas Longhorns) and have rattled off five consecutive wins since losing two straight earlier in the month.
Going into the weekend series, coach Ehren Earleywine mentioned the offense would need a good effort against A&M ace Melissa Dumezich. Dumezich looked strong early Saturday, allowing only one runner while striking out three through three innings. But freshman standout Maddison Ruggeberg struck for Missouri in the bottom of the fourth, driving in a run with a double. Seniors Catherine Lee and Lisa Simmons also got RBIs in the inning, and Missouri took a 3-1 lead. The Tigers would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Redshirt sophomore Chelsea Thomas helped keep the Aggie offense at bay all day throwing a complete game with eight strikeouts, four walks and five hits. Thomas had a shaky seventh, allowing two runs to cross the plate, but ended up earning the 6-3 win.
Thomas took the circle again Sunday and looked just as, if not more, impressive than the day before. She fanned nine batters and walked only one while giving up four hits, earning her eighth shutout of the season. She improved to 17-3 on the season with a miniscule 0.67 ERA.
With Thomas throwing a shutout behind them, senior Rhea Taylor led the Tigers at the plate. Taylor, batting .143 in her last two outings, made two key hits for Missouri. She led off the fourth with a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third before eventually scoring on an RBI by junior Ashley Fleming. Taylor then led a two-out rally in the fifth by singling to left and coming around to score. Missouri held on for the 3-0 win over Texas A&M.
It was an impressive weekend for the Missouri offense, which scored runs in high-pressure situations. Six of the Tigers’ nine total runs came with two outs, including all three of their runs Sunday. Perhaps more impressive is how they acquired the runs with no power, since Missouri didn’t hit a home run all weekend. Instead they were content to chip away with singles and aggressive baserunning, a strategy that worked out well in the end.
However, it was a rough time at the plate for Missouri’s two power hitters. Although they have 17 homers between them on the year, sophomor Nicole Hudson and junior Ashley Fleming combined to go 1-for-10 against A&M. It is a testament to the Tigers’ offensive versatility that they found success while their two mashers struggled.
Missouri will travel to Cedar Falls to play Northern Iowa on Wednesday before returning to Columbia for a two-game set with Oklahoma. Expect junior pitcher Kristen Nottelmann to get the start Wednesday as she tries to regain the form she showed last season.