April 18, 2003

Box Score

WACO, Texas - Missouri out-scored Baylor 4-0 over the final five innings and made use of three Baylor errors for a 5-2 victory here Friday in Big 12 Conference softball action. With the loss, Baylor drops to 28-24 on the season, 2-12 in conference play. Missouri moves to 27-15 and 8-6; the Tigers have won nine of their last 12.

Missouri took an early lead, thanks to a Rachael McGinnis double to left-center. Baylor rallied for two runs in the bottom of the second. With two on and two outs, Kourtny Westerfeld doubled off the base of the left-field wall.

The Tigers recaptured the lead in the top of the third with two runs on two hits and a Baylor error. McGinnis again had the big hit, a two-run double off the base of the wall in center. From there, Missouri starter Erin Kalka shut down the Lady Bears; Baylor managed just four hits the rest of the way.

Mizzou added another run in the fourth and an insurance spot in the top of the sixth. Baylor tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. However, Missouri first baseman Joanne Loethen snagged a sharp ground ball of the bat of Sarah Caudle, ending the game.

Cristin Vitek (12-13) started the game and took the loss for Baylor; she allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings. Katie Decker pitched the final four frames, allowing one unearned run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Baylor and Missouri conclude their two-game series here Saturday at noon. Five Lady Bear seniors - Sarah Caudle, Stacey Hundley, Joni Miller, Kourtny Westerfeld and Nan Wilkins - will be honored prior to the game.

Notes: Missouri now leads the all-time series 14-8, snapping a four-game Baylor winning streak in the series. ... Missouri's lead off hitters reached safely in each of the first six innings, going 5-for-5 with one hit by pitch. ... Stacey Hundley extended her hitting streak to nine games, a career long.