17d ago other sports Edit

Mizzou softball beats Florida 5-2 en route to first series win since 2014

Trevon Bobo

Intern

COLUMBIA, MO 一 No. 14 Missouri softball defeated No. 9 Florida 5-2 on Saturday in front of a record setting 3,607 fans at Mizzou Softball Stadium to win its first series over the Gators since 2014.

“Literally it feels like the field is extremely small and [the fans are] on top of you," Missouri head coach Larissa Anderson said. "Then when they start cheering it's literally like you can't even hear yourself think out there. Going into today it was 'Let's get the crowd excited from the very first inning and have them carry that momentum to get on our side.' Now we're playing with 11 people in the lineup or I could say 3,607 people in the lineup”.

The Tigers (33-10, 7-7) donned special jerseys on Saturday, wearing white uniforms with teal blue accents on the numbers and logo to honor former Mississippi State softball player Alex Wilcox, who died in 2018 after a three-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Saturday marked the fourth consecutive season that SEC teams have donned special uniforms to honor Wilcox and the “All for Alex” campaign and the fight against ovarian cancer.

Mizzou was able to win the first game of the series 6-3 on Friday, which saw it use a four-run sixth inning to claim the lead before pitcher Marissa McCann closed the door for the Tigers late.

Mizzou ace Cierra Harrison (12-2) received the start for the Tigers in the circle on Saturday, marking her 20th game of the season. In her last outing, Harrison pitched 4.2 innings, with five strikeouts, four hits and allowed just one run as she helped the Tigers defeat Drake.

In the first inning, Harrison recorded back-to-back outs to get the Tigers rolling before allowing a base hit which was followed by a two-run homer by Jocelyn Erickson to centerfield to give Florida (34-9, 9-5 SEC) a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers couldn't capitalize despite leaving three stranded on base despite loading them with just one out.

The Tiger offense was able to do a better job capitalizing in the second inning, starting with Julia Crenshaw singling to left field before Mya Dodge was walked.

With one out and two runners on, Jenna Laird doubled to the corner in right field to tie the game at 2-2. In the next at bat, Alex Honnold followed with a double of her own to score Laird and give the Tigers their first lead of the game.

Then, Maddie Gallagher singled to left before getting caught in a pickle, confusing the Gator defense and scoring Honnold to move the lead to 4-2 after two innings.

Laird finished the game 3-of-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

In the third inning, Dodge kept the momentum rolling for the Tigers, hitting a solo homer to center field on the first pitch of the inning to give them a 5-2 lead.

It was a big day for Dodge, who has been in and out of the lineup due to her struggles at the plate but getting the solo home run was a great feeling for the former Northern Iowa outfielder who is adjusting to playing in the Southeastern Conference.

“It felt really really good. We've been working trying to get my swing back and I think today it showed” Dodge said. “Honestly, it's been tough, you know, it's a big adjustment coming from the MVC to the SEC. The pitchers go a little bit harder, it's just a matter of getting back where I'm comfortable”.

In the fourth inning, Florida tried to make a push, and had the bases loaded with one out after Missouri's Abby Hay committed an error and Harrison gave up a single and hit a batter. However, Mizzou would record back-to-back outs to get out of the inning.

Harrison pitched 4.1 innings, allowed five hits, three walks, two runs and totaled four strikeouts.

Despite allowing two runs in the first inning, Anderson was pleased how Harrison bounced back and only allowed three hits over the next three innings.

“She's tough as nails," Anderson said. "She was at 100 pitches going into that inning and I just said 'Just keep going as hard as you possibly can for as long as you can and I'll come get you when you don't have anything left.' She refuses to lose and she's going to go out there and give everything she has all the time and I’ve never ever doubted her effort.”

McCann relieved Harrison and immediately dominated in the circle by not allowing any hits and getting a strikeout in her 1.2 innings pitched.

In the top of the seventh inning, pitcher Taylor Pannell closed the game for the Tigers with a one-two-three inning to secure the series-clinching win over the Gators.

In two games, Panell and the Mizzou pitching staff have held Florida to just five runs in two games this series.

“For the whole pitching staff, it's really just get ahead in your counts and attack the hitters we know they're good, but we just focus one pitch at a time,” Pannell said. “I think it's just something that I know is my role and it's what I can do to help the team. The best pitchers before me threw absolutely great and just shutting them out 一 like I got their backs and I'll do whatever I can. I think my changeup is really effective. I haven't seen another one kind of like it in the SEC and I think that's something that I can use to my advantage.”

The Tigers will host Florida on Sunday to complete the three-game series before hosting SIUE on Wednesday. They'll be on the road next weekend with a three-game series against Georgia.