No. 11/11 Missouri traveled to Knoxville on March 15-17 for a showdown with No. 8/9 Tennessee. The Tigers were swept on the road and held scoreless two times over the three game series. Tennessee outplayed Missouri, almost tripling the Tigers in total hits 21-8 over the series.     

Tennessee won the first game 9-0. The Volunteers scored early and often, only needing five innings to run-rule the Tigers. Tennessee sophomore pitcher Karlyn Pickens threw a complete game shutout, striking out five batters and letting up just two hits. Tennessee jumped on Missouri senior Laurin Krings in the first inning, scoring seven runs. 

Krings pitched 2.1 innings, letting up nine runs total and only seven earned, as well as 10 hits. Freshman pitcher Nathalie Touchet saw her first action of the season, throwing 1.2 innings and not giving up any hits or any runs. Junior catcher Julia Crenshaw and junior third baseman Kara Daly each had one hit for Missouri, giving the Tigers a meager two total hits for the day.   

The second game was similar, with Tennessee winning 8-2. The Volunteers handed sophomore pitcher Cierra Harrison her first loss of the season, making her 8-1 this year. Harrison pitched well until the fourth inning when Tennessee scored four runs. Harrison’s final line was 3.2 innings pitched, while giving up six runs and five earned on three hits. Right before being replaced, Harrison gave up a grand slam to Tennessee sophomore Taylor Pannell, making it 6-1 Volunteers. 

Tennessee added two runs in the sixth inning. Missouri scored one more run in the top of the seventh inning, but it wasn’t nearly enough to complete the comeback. Tennessee graduate  pitcher Payton Gottshall threw a complete game, striking out 10 batters and only giving up two runs on four hits. She also had seven walks, but earned the win behind Tennessee’s  offense, moving her season record to 9-2.                   

The Volunteers defended home field with a 4-0 win in the final game of the series. Pickens improved her record to 12-2, with 11 strikeouts and only gave up three hits while lowering her ERA to 0.50. 

Missouri freshman pitcher Marissa McCann threw five innings, holding Tennessee to only four runs on six hits. All of Tennessee’s runs came via a home run from Tennessee junior third baseman McKenna Gibson, who hit a two-run home run in the third inning. Missouri was once again held scoreless by Pickens, who surrendered just five hits in the 12 innings pitched.   

Edited by Michael Stamps

Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com