Missouri softball’s seniors got their Senior Day win.
The Tigers completed the series sweep of Mississippi State on Sunday in a back-and-forth contest that saw them come out on top in a 6-5 win.
Missouri’s six seniors — Katherine Kadlec, Cayla Kessinger, Hatti Moore, Sophie Dandola, Kara Decker and Imani Myint — were honored prior to first pitch with videos, flowers and framed jerseys. Emotions may have carried into the beginning of the game, but it was all business the moment the Tigers came up to bat for the first time.
Mississippi State scored runs in three separate innings. Missouri scored runs in the bottom of each of those innings.
In the top of the first, the Bulldogs got on the board first off of graduate Fa Leilua’s two-run homer, but Missouri hit back with three runs. The first three Tiger batters walked, redshirt junior left fielder Casidy Chaumont reached on an error by the first baseman and senior third baseman Kimberly Wert hit a 2-run single — all before an out was recorded. Missouri added an insurance run in the next inning.
In the top of the fifth, Mississippi State cut the deficit in half thanks to another home run, this time a solo shot off the bat of senior Montana Davidson. The Tigers answered again, reaching base three times in a row and pushing two runs across to give them a two-run lead.
The Bulldogs weren’t done yet. Their rally started with one out in the top of the sixth, with a single and double. With runners on second and third, junior Chloe Malau’ulu ripped a single up the middle, scoring both runners to tie the game at five.
For the final time, Missouri instantly responded.
Following a leadoff double by junior Emma Raabe and a redshirt junior Kendyll Bailey walk, freshman Alex Honnold and senior Brooke Wilmes recorded outs. Jenna Laird stepped up to the plate and ripped a 2-1 pitch up the middle. Sophomore shortstop Madisyn Kennedy stopped it but was too deep to make a throw home. Missouri retook the lead, and the Bulldogs couldn’t draw even in the top of the seventh.
The winning run was scored by Myint, a senior. She came in as a pinch-runner and scored from second.
Though it was Senior Day, it was Missouri’s star freshman, Laird, who had the biggest game at the plate. She hit two singles, including the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the sixth, and came around to score twice in the game.
Sunday’s finale was just a part of the productive weekend Laird had. In three games, she racked up six hits and five RBIs while making multiple impressive plays at short.
This series is an accurate reflection of the rookie season Laird has had thus far. The freshman has started all 42 of Missouri’s games and has recorded 56 hits in 130 at-bats — a .431 batting average, good enough for second-highest on the team.
It’s a big series sweep for Missouri, who snapped a three-game skid. The Tigers move to 32-10 (10-5 SEC) while Mississippi State drops to 22-19 and remains winless in the SEC (0-12). Missouri is back in action on Wednesday against Kansas City. That game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but frigid conditions and forecasted snow pushed it back one day.
_Edited by Jack Soble | jsoble@themaneater.com_