The Missouri Tigers welcomed the No. 1 Texas Longhorns to Mizzou Softball Stadium and, after dealing with a couple of rescheduling issues due to rain, dropped all three games on Saturday and Sunday.
Texas won Saturday’s game 8-0 in five innings, then won 4-3 to start Sunday’s doubleheader before winning the nightcap 3-1 in eight innings.
Here’s a recap of the action.
Game 1
Nothing went right for the Tigers in the series opener as Texas’ Teagan Kavan pitched a five-inning no-hitter while striking out 11 batters.
Missouri got two baserunners on errors.
Marissa McCann pitched the first four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out two.
Nathalie Touchet pitched the final frame, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk.
Texas scored four in the top of the first, one in the third and three more in the fifth to end the game early.
Game 2
The Tigers fared better in Sunday’s first game as Texas scored four runs in the top of the first, but did not score again. Missouri was held off the scoreboard until the seventh when Kara Daly sent her ninth home run of the season over the centerfield wall to score Julia Crenshaw and Kayley Lenger.
The Tigers had six hits, with two each from Crenshaw and Stefania Abruscato, while Daly had the home run and two walks and Sophie Smith went 1-for-3.
Cierra Harrison pitched a complete game for the Tigers, allowing four runs on four hits, three walks and a hit batter, while striking out three. She allowed three total baserunners in the final six innings.
Game 3
The final game of the series was the closest as both teams scored one run in the fourth to send the game to extra innings tied at 1. But in the top of the eighth, Texas put together three straight singles to load the bases and a sacrifice fly scored two.
The Tigers did not respond in the bottom half.
Missouri’s lone run scored when Madison Walker sent her team-leading 14th home run of the season over the right-field wall in the fourth.
The Tigers had six total hits, led by a 3-for-4 day from Crenshaw, while Lenger and Claire Cahalan both had hits and Walker had the home run.
McCann returned to the circle and had much more success, firing 5.2 innings and allowing one run on six hits while striking out three. Taylor Pannell pitched the final 2.1, allowing two runs on three hits and two strikeouts.
Up next
Missouri (20-21, 2-10 SEC) will host Southern Illinois for a mid-week game at 6 p.m. Wednesday, then will hit the road to face No. 18 Mississippi State at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
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