Nobody likes to lose. Not the softball teams from Missouri, North Dakota State or Wisconsin. But yesterday at University Field, only the Tigers didn’t have to feel the pain of losing, as they beat North Dakota State 6-3 and downed Wisconsin 10-2 in six innings, improving their win streak to 16 games.

"Everybody knows we have a streak, but 100 percent honestly, it’s not really a big deal for us," Missouri Coach Ehren Earleywine said. "We really just want to play well each time out. If we lose along the way, then we lose.

"What I am most proud of, the thing I think is keeping this team afloat, is that they have been able to make adjustments. We got stuck in a rut early in the season. We were doing some things wrong here and there, but we made adjustments. They were willing to take some risks to do it, and the results speak for themselves."

The Tigers found themselves in a hole in Game 1. After Missouri - playing as the visitor - took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, North Dakota answered in the bottom of the third inning with three runs, thanks to an error by shortstop Abby Vock and a walk by pitcher Jen Bruck sandwiched between two base hits.

The Tigers got the runs back in the top of the fourth when Amanda Renth led off with a home run. Kathryn Poet followed with a walk and Andee Allen got a base hit before Bruck and Megan Christopher hit back-to-back home runs that gave the Tigers a comfortable 6-3 lead.

"It is a confidence builder when you are on the mound and you know you have a little bit of room to work with," Bruck said. "It doesn’t put as much pressure on you as a normal one-run ballgame. It is nice to know that we are swinging the bat well right now. Especially at this time of the year, going into the Big 12, it is really important that we are swinging the bats really well."

Bruck didn’t allow another run. She pitched a complete game, giving up only four hits and striking out one.

"I was happy to see her go seven innings," Earleywine said. "It has been a while since she has gone seven. We felt like she was hitting a wall in the fourth or fifth in her past couple of outings, so it was nice to see her go a complete seven."

Missouri’s Stacy Delaney took over in the circle in Game 2 and picked up right where Bruck left off. After struggling with her location against the first two batters, Delaney pitched all six innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven.

"Again, the kid made an adjustment, figured out what pitches were working, which pitches weren’t working, and from the second inning on she was a lot more effective," Earleywine said.

The MU offense once again helped its pitcher. Renth hit her second home run of the day in the bottom of the first inning after Rhea Taylor led off with a walk.

Missouri tacked on four more runs - all of them unearned - in the bottom of the second inning, when Badgers pitcher Letty Olivarez walked a batter and hit two others, including Renth. The bases-loaded walk gave Renth her third RBI of the game.

Renth finished the day 2 for 7 with two homers and four RBI after going 4 for 7 with a home run in a Wednesday doubleheader against Wichita State.

"Even though I made some outs there in the end, I was still hitting the ball hard," Renth said. "That is my job. I want to hit the ball hard every time."

Earleywine is excited about the possibilities of having Renth hitting behind Lindsey Ubrun, who has hit seven home runs in the past week.

"Before the first game started, I saw her have a real good round in the cage and I thought, ‘Today she is going to turn the corner,’ and she did, Earleywine said. "She turned the corner, and when you get her hot with the way Ubrun is swinging and all the rest of the kids chipping in, we’re dangerous."

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