Mizzou softball ends season in first round of SEC Tournament
Mizzou seemed to be in position.
The Black & Gold took the lead immediately, the Tigers were making fantastic plays on defense and Cierra Harrison looked nearly untouchable in the circle.
All that led to a 2-0 Mizzou lead after five innings, and Auburn had not won a game this season when trailing after five innings.
But it was all Auburn the rest of the way. Auburn scored six unanswered runs to pull away with a 6-2 win, ending the Mizzou season one win short of the NCAA Tournament.
After making every tournament from 2007 through 2024 (excluding 2020 when there was no tournament), Mizzou will miss its second straight NCAA Regionals. It marks the first time since a three-year stretch from 2000-2002 that Mizzou will not appear in consecutive tournaments.
Mizzou ends the season with a 28-29 record and a 9-16 mark against SEC opponents.
After allowing just two hits through the first five innings, Harrison allowed a leadoff triple to open the sixth. That got Mizzou coach Larissa Anderson to turn to her bullpen and freshman Abby Carr.
But the defense that had carried the Tigers with multiple fantastic plays through the early innings turned on Mizzou in the sixth. Carr got a strikeout for the first out, but an attempted backpick sailed into left field and the runner from third scored.
After a second strikeout, a walk kept the inning alive before a single put runners on first and third.
This time it was a wild pitch allowing the runner from third to score, tying the game.
Then came the back breaker, a two-run home run to left put Auburn up for good.
Carr got a groundout to end the frame, but the damage was done. In the seventh, another home run extended the lead to 5-2, then a walk, a hit batter and a single to center created the final margin.
Early momentum
From the start, Mizzou looked to be in control. Harrison allowed a leadoff triple to start the game, but a great defensive play from Abby Hay cut the runner down at the plate and Harrison worked a scoreless inning.
Then in the bottom half, Addy Waits and Stefania Abruscato both walked, then Carr doubled to the wall in left to score Waits and Sidney Forrester singled to score Abruscato.
Stats
But Mizzou was never able to get another runner home as Auburn’s pitching began to relax into the game. Mizzou had five total hits, with one each from Carr, Hay, Forrester, Saniya Hill and Linny Ramsey. Carr’s first-inning double was the only extra-base hit.
Harrison worked five-plus innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, she struck out three batters. Carr took the loss in one-plus inning of work, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks. She struck out two batters.
Marissa McCann got the final three outs, allowing a hit and hitting a batter.