Missouri softball notched its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season Saturday in the middle game of its weekend series against No. 7 Texas A&M, but the team lost on Friday and Sunday to fall to 18-13 on the season and 1-4 in conference play.
The Tigers came into their three-game series with Texas A&M riding a four-game winning streak from the previous weekend that included three wins by mercy rule. The offense was on a roll during the streak, having scored 10 or more runs in each of the previous three games.
Texas A&M silenced those bats in the series opener, as the Tigers’ offense produced zero runs and just two hits. Redshirt sophomore Madi Norman lasted just two innings, giving up five earned runs. The Aggies hit three home runs and beat the Tigers 8-0 in five innings.
After Friday’s game, Missouri had not only lost its first three SEC games but had failed to produce a single run in any of the contests.
That all changed Saturday when the Tigers came out swinging and scored three runs in the top of the first inning against the Aggies. Senior Kirsten Mack opened the scoring with a two-RBI single, then redshirt junior Anna Reed drove in Mack with a single of her own. Sophomore Rylee Pierce homered in the sixth inning to extend Missouri’s lead to 5-1.
The Tigers were powered by senior Cheyenne Baxter’s excellent outing on the mound. Baxter threw a complete game, surrendering just one earned run on five hits while striking out six batters. Baxter improved to 6-2 on the season behind her third complete game of the year
“After getting up early by three runs, I wanted to go in and shut their offense down,” Baxter said in a press release after the game. “The game plan for me was to keep the batters guessing by mixing up all my pitches in all locations. I just tried to spin the ball and let my defense make plays behind me.”
Missouri’s bats showed up again Sunday but were absent when needed most. The Tigers stranded a season-high 11 runners on base, losing 7-3. All three of Missouri’s runs came in the first inning, during which they had eight hits. For the next six innings, the offense was largely shut down, managing just four hits.
Freshman Parker Conrad suffered her first loss of the season, allowing three earned runs in her inning and a third of work on the mound.
Sophomore Regan Nash pushed her hitting streak to a career-best seven games, recording multi-hit games on Saturday and Sunday.
Missouri looks to bounce back in Wichita, Kansas on Wednesday. The Tigers will play the Wichita State Shockers in a doubleheader, with first pitch set for 4 p.m.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_