April 3, 2002

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo.- Southeast entered Wednesday's doubleheader with a season-long two game winning streak and were looking to win three in a row for the first time this season. The Missouri Tigers had a different idea, scoring a total of 22 runs in the doubleheader and making the most of six Otahkian errors.

In game one, Missouri (23-23) wasted no time scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. After LF Sara Vassmer reached on an error by Kristen King, 3B Rachael McGinnis tripled her in and McGinnis then came home to score on a Heather Kunkel single to put the Tigers up 2-0.

After Mizzou added their third run in the second inning, Southeast (5-16) got on the board in the top of the third inning. LF Shelley Conroy singled to open the inning and advanced to third on SS Dawn Piantino's sixth double of the season. A batter later, 2B Brooke Nett drove in her fourth and fifth runs of the season with a double to leftfield that scored Conroy and Piantino and brought the Otahkians within one run at 3-2.

Unfortunately for Southeast, that would be their lone run in game one and for the rest of the afternoon. Missouri came through with six huge runs in the third inning, a wild inning at that. The bottom of the third saw two Mizzou triples, a wild pitch, three balks on relief pitcher Kelly Birk (the first balks in over two seasons for Southeast), two Tiger batters hit by pitches, two Southeast errors and three MU stolen bases. The wild inning pushed the score to 9-2 and put the game out of reach for the Otahkians.

After not scoring in the fourth inning, Missouri got an RBI single from CF Morgan LeCluyse to push the lead to eight and end the game via the eight-run mercy rule.

King (0-6), who started the game and re-entered later in the game, got the loss for Southeast. In total, she pitched 3 1/2 innings, allowing nine hits and six runs, four of which were earned. Mizzou starter Veronica Flourney (9-9) was the winner, allowing four hits and two runs in two innings of work.

Game two was no different for MU, as they scored in each of their four at-bats, once again ending the game in the fifth inning due to the eight-run mercy rule.

The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the first, all of which came with two out. MU put their explosive speed to work for them, stealing two more bases and scoring all three runs with runners from second base. Missouri scored twice in the second inning and once again exploded for six runs in an inning on the day, this time in the third inning to put MU up 11-0 at the time. Missouri added their 12th and final run in the fourth inning to conclude the scoring at 12-0.

Southeast managed only three hits on the game, with Nett singling in the first, Michelle Lunsford singled in the fourth and Stacy DeClue singling in the fifth inning. The hits for Lunsford and DeClue were the second of the season for each player.

Rachel Van Fleet (3-4) was the losing pitcher in game two. She allowed 11 runs on 11 hits and saw her E.R.A. increase by 1.21 in the game. Erin Kalka pitched a gem of a game for Mizzou, allowing only the three hits over five innings. She retired 10 of 11 Southeast batters at one stretch of the game.

LeCluyse led the Tigers in game two at the plate by going 2-3 with three RBI's. She was 4-5 with five RBI's on the day.

For Southeast, Nett was a combined 3-5 on the day with two RBI's.

Southeast will return home and back to Ohio Valley Conference action for an important three-game series with Austin Peay this weekend. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon staring at 1:00 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.