Offense struggled against top opponents as Missouri softball wins 3-of-5 at the Mary Nutter Classic
Missouri softball’s 10-0 record was put to the test at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Tigers played five games in three days for the third straight weekend, only winning three this time around. Below are three takeaways from this weekend’s tournament.
Both of Missouri’s losses were close
There’s something about only losing by one run that sits in players’ minds. You feel like you could have done something more to help your team win, yet people on the outside of the locker room look at the box score and say there’s no shame in losing to a really good team by a close margin. The Tigers started the tournament with a 3-2 loss to San Diego State. Senior Jenna Laird led the way for Missouri, going 2-3, but ended with 0 RBIs. Sophomore Kayley Lenger homered to left field to cut San Diego State’s lead to one run.
Unfortunately, that lead would hold and San Diego State would go on to win the game with no scoring change. Missouri’s second loss of the tournament came on the final day against No. 22 Baylor. The Tigers took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, but Baylor scored twice on singles from freshman Leah Cran and junior Presleigh Pilon. The Bears chipped away at Missouri’s lead with two runs in the sixth inning before adding one in the seventh for a walk-off win. This was Missouri’s game to win, but their bats went cold after the fourth inning, tallying only one hit in innings five, six and seven.
Senior pitcher Laurin Krings continued her strong season on the mound
Krings started two games this weekend — against San Diego State and UCF — pitching well in both. Although Krings took the loss against San Diego State, none of their runs were earned, meaning they weren’t credited as Krings’ fault. She went six innings and struck out seven, while giving up three hits. The Aztecs put two runners on base, via an error by senior shortstop Jenna Laird and a single to the shortstop. The next batter, junior utility player Mac Barbara, hit a three-run home run that Missouri was unable to come back from. Krings didn’t let that faze her and came out against UCF on fire, pitching a complete game.
Krings’ only hiccup was a solo-home run by Chloe Evans. Other than that, Krings allowed six hits and struck out five. Krings did have another appearance this weekend, coming in relief of sophomore Cierra Harrison in the final game against Baylor. Krings struggled in the unfamiliar role out of the bullpen, throwing 2.2 innings and allowing three runs on two hits with two walks. Her overall performance this weekend raised her season earned run average (ERA) to 2.01, meaning Krings will give up, on average, just over two runs for every nine innings she pitches.
Finally, these two losses will not make or break the Tigers’ season
Missouri is still 13-2 on the year and ranked No. 13/15, with a favorable schedule until mid-March when they start SEC play.
Edited by Michael Stamps
Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com
Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com