(Photo Credit: Ben Walton)
The Tigers used the long ball on Saturday to defeat their hated rival Kansas Jayhawks 6-3 to advance to the regional championship game. A pair of two-run homeruns from freshman catcher Kristen Mack and junior third baseman Angela Randazzo propelled the Missouri offense in the win.
The Tiger bats once again were on fire early as Mackenzie Sykes slapped a double down the line to set the tempo. Mack then stepped to the dish looking to put Missouri on the board and she did just that torching a ball into the center field bleachers to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead after two innings of play.
Missouri struck again in the top of the third after redshirt sophomore Taylor Gadbois singled through the right side before swiping her 46th stolen base on the year. With a runner on second, Randazzo struck a liner up the middle scoring Gadbois increasing the Tiger lead to 3-0.
The offense continued in the top of the fifth as the Tigers were able to score yet another pair of runs. After redshirt sophomore Sammi Fagan reached on a double, Randazzo added to her day hitting a two-run homerun to push the Missouri lead to 5-0.
The Kansas bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth as they were able to tally one run. With runners on the corners Jayhawk shortstop Chaley Brickey hit into a fielders choice scoring Taylor McElhaney from third cutting the Tiger lead to 5-1.
The Jayhawks threatened again in the sixth as they loaded the bases with three straight singles. Though Tiger pitcher Casey Stangel was able to get McElhaney to ground into a double play ending the threat. Stangel pitched a complete game giving up seven hits and three runs.
Kansas attempted a late comeback as Brickey sent a shot over the outfield wall to bring the Missouri lead to just 6-3, but it would not be enough as the Tigers would eventually win and move on to the championship game.
For The Tigers, they play today at noon in the regional championship game. As for the Jayhawks, their season came to an end after losing to Nebraska 2-1 last night.
Game Notes: The matchup between Kansas and Missouri was just the second time the two schools have met in any sport since Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC. The other matchup was in 2012 in which the golf teams competed.
Missouri Tiger pitcher Tori Finucan will undergo a 10-day resting program and will be unavailable to pitch in the super regionals if the Tigers do indeed advance, according to Missouri head coach Ehren Earleywine.
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