The No. 10 Missouri softball team (38-11, 14-7 Big 12 Conference) split a double-header Wednesday evening at University Field against Murray State, winning the first game 5-4 and losing the second game 3-2.
Coach Ehren Earleywine said he was not pleased with the way the Tigers played, calling their performance “unacceptable.”
“We definitely didn’t play like a top-10 team today,” Earleywine said. “We were an embarrassment today in both games. The standards that not only our program has, but that Missouri has, is that getting beat by mid-tier teams is unacceptable.”
Freshman pitcher Bailey Erwin notched her eighth win of the season in the first game, holding the Racers scoreless through five innings.
Both teams were quiet through two and a half innings, but in the bottom of the third, freshman second baseman Ashtin Stephens bunted and moved to second on an error to open the offensive floodgates for the Tigers.
Junior catcher Jenna Marston then drew her 40th walk of the season before sophomore center fielder Mackenzie Sykes knocked Stephens in with a single. Two batters later, another single up the middle by freshman first baseman Kelsea Roth plated a pair to extend Missouri’s lead to 3-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, freshman shortstop Corrin Genovese reached base on an error and a sacrifice fly by Stephens brought her in to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
Senior outfielder Ashley Fleming came in to pitch the sixth inning, loading the bases up before Earleywine put Erwin back in. But after a pop up to Genovese, Erwin walked a batter and roped a bases-clearing double to knot the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the inning, Fleming roped her 13th home run of the season, the 40th of her career, to put the Tigers ahead again.
“We got into trouble (in the sixth inning), but thankfully Ashley got us out of it with that home run,” Earleywine said. “(Losing that game) could have been a disaster.”
Erwin shut down the Racers in the seventh to clinch the win.
But even with the victory, Earleywine said he was not happy with the way the game was played.
“I was pissed off because we played so bad and we barely won,” Earleywine said. “Just beating Murray State is not acceptable. We should run rule this team.”
Senior pitcher Kristin Nottelmann started the second game, holding Murray State scoreless through three innings.
In the top of the fourth, the Racers grabbed a 3-0 lead after an infield single, a triple to right field and a bunt single with no outs. Nottelmann then hit a batter and walked in a run on four pitches.
Missouri couldn’t put anything together until the bottom of the seventh. Junior third baseman Nicole Hudson singled through the right side and junior designated player Lindsey Muller ripped a single to put the first two runners on base. Sophomore pinch hitter Mackenzie Sykes then walked to load up the bases for junior catcher Rachel Hay, who roped a two-run single to cut the lead to 3-2.
Stephens then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, but Murray State’s pitcher jammed Fleming to end the game.
“(In the last inning), I felt like we made the right moves, we just didn’t swing at good pitches,” Earleywine said. “Fleming getting jammed for the final out, that’s something that shouldn’t happen against mid-tier pitching.”
The Tigers travel to Eugene, Ore., this weekend to play a series against the No. 12 Oregon Ducks. The first game starts at 8 p.m. Friday.