So yesterday featured a huge baseball game and a huge softball game. Today, the stakes have been raised considerably. Thanks to Mizzou's run-rule win over Kansas (tee hee), the Tigers have a chance to win their final Big 12 tournament today against Oklahoma. Meanwhile, thanks to the rare rough outing for Chelsea Thomas, Mizzou Softball must win twice today to make their fourth straight Women's College World Series.
1:05 p.m. CT
Big 12 Baseball Tournament Finals
Missouri vs. Oklahoma
TV: Fox Sports Midwest (full list of outlets here -- warning: PDF)
2:30 p.m. CT
NCAA Softball Super Regionals
Missouri vs. LSU
TV: ESPNU
5:00 p.m. CT (If Necessary)
NCAA Softball Super Regionals
Missouri vs. LSU
TV: ESPNU
Baseball
Mizzou traveled to Norman in mid-April, in the middle of a four-game conference losing streak. They left in the middle of a seven-game conference losing streak. Oklahoma swept Tim Jamieson's Tigers, but one can take solace in two things: 1) Mizzou is playing quite a bit better now than they were then, and 2) two of the three losses in Norman were by one run. They lost the opener, 6-5 in 10 innings, and they lost the closer, 5-4. They absolutely have a chance to pull off a win today. As good as Oklahoma has looked this week in taking out Baylor twice, Mizzou has looked just as good -- they outscored Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas by a combined 22-5.
Some links:
- Mizzou 12, Kansas 2
MUtigers.com: Mizzou Run Rules Kansas to Advance to Big 12 Championship Game
Big 12 Sports: Missouri Advances to Second Straight Big 12 Championship Game
The Trib: Missouri advances to baseball championship game
The Trib: Border War comes to merciful end for KU
KC Star: MU wins final Border War
SimmonsField.com: MU Run-Rules the Border War
Softball
There's a reason why teams don't typically make it to four consecutive World Series: it's really hard to do. It is difficult to pull off four straight years of regionals and super regionals without suffering poor performances at really poor times. Chelsea Thomas simply couldn't find the plate yesterday, and LSU executed its game plan (work the count, run the bases well, kill with defense) better than Missouri did. The good news is simply that LSU didn't do anything surprising; they simply played well. If Chelsea can locate her pitches today (and the odds are good that she will), and if the defense tightens up (LSU scored two runs on a bloop single that two different defenders should have caught, and the Bayou Bengals' fifth-inning explosion began with another iffy defensive play), Mizzou is more than capable of winning two games today. We'll see, huh?
Some links:
- LSU 6, Mizzou 1
MUtigers.com: Mizzou Drops Opener to LSU, 6-1
Mizzou Network: Ehren Earleywine Postgame Press Conference
The Trib: LSU surprises Missouri in super regional opener
The Trib: Win two ... or go home
The Missourian: Thomas, Missouri fall to LSU in super regional opener
KC Star: MU falls to LSU in game one of softball Super Regional
Post-Dispatch: MU softball team loses opener in super regional
KBIA Sports: Mizzou softball loses to LSU, must win two to advance to World Series