Split with Illini doesn't satisfy coach
ST. CHARLES — Natalie Fleming's second career home run traveled maybe a shade more than 100 feet in the air.
Fleming hit a soft liner into right field during the nightcap of the Missouri softball team's doubleheader against Illinois yesterday at Lindenwood University's Lou Brock Sports Complex. Kylie Johnson dived to try to rob Fleming of a single. The ball bounced past Johnson and rolled to the fence.
Fleming circled the bases as part of MU's six-run fifth inning. That helped MU rally to a 9-6 victory in Game 2 after opening with a 3-0 setback.
"I don't think I've ever had an inside-the-park home run before," said Fleming, a freshman third baseman who hit a solid homer over the left-field fence earlier this season. "When I see the girl dive for it, I'm like, 'Oh, geez, I'm going to be running for a while.' "
The fact that MU's home run came with a caveat sort of summed up the day. The 16th-ranked Tigers (23-8) mustered five hits — all singles — in Game 1, and an error led to Illinois scoring two unearned runs. The Illini (16-10) claimed a 3-0 lead in Game 2 before MU tied the game with a three-run fourth and claimed its first lead of the day in the fifth.
"We didn't show up today," said center fielder Taylor Gadbois, who went 3 for 7 in the doubleheader and extended her program-best hitting streak to 27 games. "We are way better than what we showed."
That's what Coach Ehren Earleywine is left to hope. He entered this season thinking the Tigers might be late-bloomers, considering their reliance on youth. Before yesterday, all of MU's losses came to ranked foes and six were by a single run. Earleywine couldn't find a silver lining to a split against an Illinois squad ranked 61st in the Ratings Percentage Index.
"I failed them as a coach. They failed themselves as players," Earleywine said. "We're going to have a hard time winning any games in the SEC if we continue to play like this. I thought this was a team that might get better as the season progressed, but today was two steps back.
"At the end of the game, I talked with the team in the circle, and I said, 'It would be really cool if I could talk about three things we didn't do well.' But the problem was, it was 103."
On that list of problems was MU's offense in Game 1, which marked the first time the Tigers were shut out since a 1-0 loss to Washington ended last season. Twice Gadbois singled and stole second base with fewer than two outs, but the Tigers couldn't get her home. MU went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position in the opener.
Earleywine said Illinois pitcher Brandi Needham silenced the Tigers with two pitches — a dropball and a changeup. Needham walked two and struck out three in her complete game.
"I attribute all of the lack of success in Game 1 to our hitters' approaches," Earleywine said. "It was just unbelievable. … It's embarrassing. It's past belief."
Tori Finucane suffered the loss after she allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out eight in seven innings.
In Game 2, Angela Randazzo hit a fourth-inning double as part of her 4-for-7 day to put runners on second and third. Fleming followed with an RBI groundout to end MU's scoreless innings streak at 111/3. Corrin Genovese capped the fourth with a two-run single.
Missouri started the fifth with consecutive outs before Gadbois doubled to begin a string of seven consecutive batters reaching base. That included an RBI single from Sami Fagan, a two-run single from Randazzo, Mackenzie Sykes' RBI double and Fleming's single-turned-homer that resulted in a pair of runs. Genovese followed with a double before Kirsten Mack was retired for the second time in the inning.
"Honestly, I don't think we made any changes" during the six-run fifth, Earleywine said. "I think the pitching just tapered off on their end, and they left a few more balls over the plate. I didn't see any adjustments in our swings or our approaches."
Genovese went 2 for 3 in Game 2, and Fagan went 3 for 7 in the doubleheader. She's registered a hit in 19 of the last 21 games she's played in. Casey Stangel earned the win despite allowing 11 hits. She struck out six and walked none in seven innings.