Mizzou softball scored five-runs in the fifth inning to lead the team to a 7-0 win over Indiana State Friday at the NCAA Softball Columbia Regional. The Tigers (40-14) advanced to the winner’s bracket and will face Kansas on Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. CT. The Sycamores (26-30) will take on Louisville in the loser’s bracket at 12:30 p.m.
The big inning was highlighted by sophomore Jordan Zolman’s three run blast on a 1-2 pitch that went deep to left center put the Tigers up 6-0 at that point.
“It felt great. I knew as soon as it came off the bat that it was gone,” said Zolman.
The Tigers known for scoring a lot of runs in bunches, left some opportunities out there through the first four innings. Head coach Ehren Earleywine took a different approach trying to manufacture runs early. The Tigers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Hits from CF Taylor Gadbois and RF Emily Crane and a walk from 2B Sami Fagan loaded the bases with no outs. DPAmanda Sanchez hit into a double play but drove Gadbois home to earn the RBI.
“I’ve played so many of these games where you’re the top seed and you play the bottom seed, and in the fourth or fifth inning it’s 0-0 because you’re sitting around waiting around for the three-run homer,” said Earleywine. “I told my dad before the game, I said ‘I’m going to bunt in the first inning if Gadbois gets on, I’m going to steal her, and Crane’s going to bunt her to third,’ and that’s exactly what we did, and thank God, it was 1-0 after four innings just like I said.”
In the circle, P Tori Finucane allowed just two hits, struck out four batters and walked just one over 5.0 innings to earn her 20th win of the 2015 campaign. Over her last 11.0 innings, she has allowed only three hits and no runs in outings against Mississippi State and Indiana State.
