May 17, 2008
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Iowa City, Iowa-The Missouri softball team (46-15) came from behind for the second time of the Iowa City NCAA Regional Tournament to take down No. 1 seed and 18th-ranked Long Beach State (40-16), 5-3, at Bob Pearl Field. Taking advantage of five 49er errors, the Tigers combined for eight hits and scored only one earned run. With the win, Missouri advances to its third NCAA Regional Title game in four years and will play for its first bid in program history to an NCAA Super Regional. The Tigers will take on the winner of the Long Beach State versus game four winner on Sunday, May 18, at 1 p.m. (CST).
Senior first baseman Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) erased Long Beach State's one run lead by blasting a third inning, two run homer deep over the centerfield fence. Her 20th home run of the season, Renth took the 2-1 pitch for a ride, driving in centerfielder Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) from third base. Both runs came across unearned. Earlier in the inning, Taylor made her way around the bases on back-to-back throwing errors by 49er pitcher Brooke Turner and rightfielder Danielle Linke.
Back-to-back doubles in the top of the fifth inning gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead over the No. 1 seeded team in the tournament. Batting in the two hole, sophomore Julie Silver (Chesterfield, Mo.) roped a one out standup double to right and scored on Renth's double to the opposite field. Renth now has 60 RBI on the season and five in her two games of the 2008 NCAA Regional Tournament.
Missouri's defense stranded seven Long Beach State runners on the base paths, including four in scoring position. Winning pitcher Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.), threw four-and-one-third innings of work and was backed up in the field for Missouri's 21st error-free game of the campaign. A second inning double play held the 49ers to their only run of the game, an earned run driven in on left fielder Lacy Tyler's single through the right side.
Junior Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.), the winner of Missouri's 3-2 game against Iowa, entered the game in the fifth for the Tigers and was credited with her second save of the year. Facing 11 batters, Delaney struck out two, but gave up a two out, two run home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Creighton and Iowa will play game four of the Iowa City NCAA Regional beginning at 2:30 p.m. (CST), with the winner advancing to the 5 p.m. (CST) game against Long Beach State. By the end of the day, the double-elimination tournament will put an end to two program's season-long efforts.
NOTES
Missouri's 5-3 win over Long Beach State is only the second Tiger victory over a ranked team this season. Missouri bested then-No. 15 Virginia Tech, 2-1, on Feb. 10, Missouri's fifth game of the campaign.
Missouri's 46 wins ties for the second most victories in program history. The most Tiger wins in a season was 47 recorded in 1995 and 1997.
Senior Amanda Renth's 60 RBI on the season is a career-best for the Tiger first baseman and puts her at third in the Missouri single-season RBI record book. Renth has 186 RBI on her career, good enough for second best in the Missouri record book behind 1997 graduate Mary Babb who recorded 199 between 1994 and 1997.
Of its 12 NCAA Regional Tournament appearances, Missouri has played in six title games, most recently the 2007 at the Carbondale, Illinois Regional. The Tigers are 3-3 in regional title games, last claiming an NCAA Regional Title in 1994.
