Tigers keep both games close, but no cigar
GAME ONE: Mizzou 3 — Texas 4
Title: Tiger Bats Awaken in Close Loss
Alternate Title: If Only We Could Erase the First Inning
By Karen Steger
Can we go back in time and take away the first inning? Unfortunately, that’s not possible, but it’s too bad for Missouri starter CC Harrison, who outside of that cursed first inning, was really good. Let’s get to it.
No Take-Backsies
Let’s just rip the band-aid off and start with the bad stuff. That first inning was… not good. A leadoff double was followed by a walk, which was followed by an RBI single up the middle to make it 1-0. A three-run home run by Katie Stewart made it 4-0, before Harrison was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout looking.
After that, though, CC was strong. She worked a 1-2-3 inning in the second, and though she allowed back-to-back walks in the third, she got two fly balls to end it. In the fourth it was back to another 1-2-3 inning, and in the fifth, her defense came to her aid. After allowing a single to leadoff hitter Ashton Maloney, Kayden Henry hit into a double play, but not a traditional one. After getting the first out at second, Smith overthrew it to first, which allowed Henry to take off for second only to be thrown out. After a review it was confirmed; an untraditional double play ensured that CC would face just the minimum. In the sixth, she had another 1-2-3 inning, and in her final inning of work to preserve the complete game, she also faced the minimum after hitting the leadoff batter, who was later thrown out stealing.
In CC’s seven innings, she allowed just four hits to the uber-powerful Longhorn lineup, to go along with four runs (three earned), three walks, three strikeouts and two extra base hits. Outside of that dastardly first inning, Harrison was very effective.
Offensive Ebbs and Flows
See what I did there?
Anyway, the Tiger offense managed six total hits, including two off starter Mac Morgan, who pitched the first three innings, three off of Citlaly Gutierrez, who pitched 3 1⁄3 , and one off of Teagan Kavan, who came in to shut down the Tigers. So yes, there were hits and the offense was much more active than the previous game, but like all season, it was wishy-washy and not able to adjust to the opposition’s pitching.
Julia Crenshaw got the hitting started early with a leadoff single, but strikeouts quicky erased any sort of threat in the first. The same sort of situation occurred in the fourth on a two-out single by Sophie Smith, but a ground out erased the threat.
Before breaking through in the seventh, the Tigers had two legitimate chance to plate some runs, as they loaded the bases in the third on Lenger and Daly walks, sandwiched in between an Abruscato single to center. However, Ebbs struck out, effectively “ebbing” the flow of the offense and stranding three. In the fifth, it happened again. Abruscato got on base with her second hit of the day, a single through the right side, and after a Daly walk, a wild pitch put the runners at second and third, just 60 feet from home plate, but much like the previous time, Ebbs got the final out.
In the seventh, the offensive dam finally broke — I’m using a lot of water metaphors today, not sorry— as Lenger walked and Crenshaw singled to left center and took second on the throw. Lenger narrowly missed getting called out at third, but was ultimately called safe, and that was the end of Gutierrez’s outing. Tiger nemesis and Game 1 winner Teagan Kavan was brought in to keep things from getting out of hand, and it didn’t work this time, as Daly launched a home run to center to make it 4-3. Ebbs struck out to end it, preserving the series win for the Longhorns.
GAME TWO: Mizzou 1 — Texas 3
Title: Mizzou softball falls below .500 in extra inning loss
Alternate Title: Tigers are swept for the 2nd time in 4 SEC series
By Dylan Heinrich
Mizzou played the Longhorns close all game, but couldn’t overcome the hump after a controversial call in the seventh inning to fall, 3-1.
With the game tied at one in the bottom of the seventh, “Tiny” Claire Cahalan hit an infield single to get to first base. Crenshaw came up to bat next, hitting a play to the shortstop who got Cahalan out at second; the ensuing throw to first was both off-target and too late. HOWEVER, the umpires got together and ruled Cahalan interfered with the throw onto first; much to the chagrin of the Mizzou home fans. (Editor’s Note: That was a BS call that never should have been called in the first place. It was a clean slide by Cahalan and JC was already around the bases and therefore there was no play. Garbage call.)
This ended the inning, forcing extras from Mizzou Softball Stadium. Texas loaded the bases in the next inning, where Joley Mitchell hit a sac fly to the wall which managed to score not one, but two Longhorn runners to break the tie.
Mizzou’s offense failed to match the output, with three straight outs including K’s from freshmen Kadence Shepherd and Nevaeh Watkins in their first at-bat of the series. The Tigers fall to 2-10 in the SEC and 20-21 overall, their first time below .500 this season.
Both offenses started the game slow, with a combined two hits through the first three innings. Marissa McCann started her second game Texas, avoiding the dreaded first inning falters that succumbed both her and CC in the previous two games. This included two straight strikeouts to end the third inning.
McCann pitched the first 5.2 innings of the game, allowing only one run with six hits. The sophomore finished with three strikeouts, using the instincts of her fielders to secure the rest of the 14 outs.
Pannell came in relief of McCann, securing the final out of the sixth inning. She breezed through the seventh inning, recording a pair of strikeouts. But Pannell struggled through the eighth, giving up three hits and two runs while recording the loss for Mizzou.
Texas scored the first run at the top of the 4th as Mia Scott smashed a solo home run into center field. Scott finished the series with four hits, a HR and a triple.
The Tigers matched the scoring with one run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Madison Walker led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to tie the game at one. Walker extended her lead on team HRs with No. 14 on Sunday afternoon.
The Mizzou offense finished the day with six hits; half of which came from Crenshaw. Taking both games into account, Julia led Mizzou with five hits, serving as a major tool from the leadoff spot.
The Tigers will look to bounce back with their fifth consecutive home game during a midweek matchup against Southern Illinois on Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m.
