Whenever a team faces a slump, it’s important to respond by making a statement. The Missouri softball team did just that in a series sweep against South Carolina at home, winning three against the Gamecocks from Friday to Sunday.
After being swept by Tennessee and Ole Miss to start the season, the Tigers entered their series against South Carolina with a conference record of 0-5 and having lost seven of the past eight. It was critical that they notched a few wins in the series, and they were able to do just that.
Though the team was finally able to find its stroke in the SEC, it was Kimberly Wert who received all of the attention on Friday. Wert was able to finally snap her home run drought dating back to the series against Illinois and exit her tie for first place for home runs in Mizzou softball history.
Wert’s 48th home run as a Tiger passed Jen Bruck for the most in Mizzou history and her two RBI in Friday night’s contest would help propel the Tigers to a series-opening win, 4-2 over the Gamecocks. This first win would set the tone for the rest of the series, as all three games were decided by slim margins and late-inning runs.
Timely hitting from Wert was a theme, as she was able to drive in a run in the first inning of all three games, helping to give Mizzou some early momentum against the Gamecocks. The Tigers have often gotten off to slow starts in their recent slump.
Laurin Krings, the sophomore pitcher from Loveland, Colo., was able to nab two wins in games one and three against the Gamecocks. In 13 innings, Krings only permitted three runners to score and helped push the Tigers to two key wins on the weekend.
Megan Schumacher was able to secure a win of her own in relief work, coming in for Jordan Weber in game two during a third inning in which she was handed the ball with runners on second and third and only one out. Schumacher was able to handle the rest of the inning, only allowing one more to cross and finishing the game with zero earned runs in 4.2 innings of work.
Head coach Larissa Anderson commented on the early struggles with SEC play, saying that "It's always tough to sweep in the SEC, and it's great to get back on track."
The series sweep by the Tigers moved them into 10th in the SEC as of Sunday night. Mizzou, now 3-5 in conference play, will have to crawl their way back into conference contention after an incredibly rough start to the season.
The Tigers’ next action comes on Tuesday, April 5 against the Kansas City Roos at Mizzou Softball Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. The Roos stand at 8-22, with the sole common opponent with Missouri being St. Thomas. In their most recent series, Kansas City was able to narrowly edge the Tommies 2-1, though all three games were decided by two or fewer runs.
“Overall just really happy with us getting back on track and the effort that we put in over the last three games,” Anderson concluded.
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