The Tigers traveled to Starkville, Mississippi to play Mississippi State April 11-13. They walked away from the weekend with two losses and one win.

Game 1

Missouri took its first loss to the Bulldogs 7-0. Junior pitcher Cierra Harrison was the first pitcher of the weekend and she pitched for five innings. She allowed four runs on five hits. Sophomore pitcher Nathalie Touchet took the mound in the sixth inning, allowing one run with three hits.

Mississippi State took a strong 3-0 lead in the second inning off a home run from junior outfielder Kiarra Sells, taking senior infielder Riley Hull home with her. The Bulldogs brought in four more runs in the fifth and sixth inning, winning 7-0.

Game 2

Missouri evened out the series with a 12-8 win in the second game. Sophomore pitcher Marissa McCann pitched for six innings. She allowed six runs on eight hits. Senior pitcher Jayci Kruse took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and junior pitcher Taylor Pannell relieved her in the bottom of the seventh. Kruse allowed two runs on three hits and Pannell allowed no runs with one hit.

The Tigers took a swift lead in the first inning when senior infielder Taylor Ebbs doubled down the right field line, allowing freshman outfielder Nevaeh Watkins and sophomore outfielder Claire Cahalan to score. Freshman infielder Sophie Smith reached second base on a field error, advancing sophomore first baseman Abby Hay to home.

The Tigers registered a season-best 14 hits this game. Ebbs had a personal-best three hits and marked her 10th multi-hit and seventh multi-RBI game of the season.

The Bulldogs tied up the score 5-5, but Missouri had a quick response in the fourth. Sophomore infielder Madison Walker had the highlight of the game notching her second grand-slam of the season, bringing in four runs for the Tigers.

This was Walker’s team-leading 15th home run of the campaign. She will break into Missouri’s top-8 for a single season with a 16th home run.

Sophomore outfielder Stefania Abruscato notched an RBI to center bringing in one final run from Hay to wrap up the top of the fourth with six runs for Missouri. Ebbs earned her 8th home run of the season in the sixth inning, solidifying the win for the Tigers.

Game 3

Missouri fell to Mississippi in the final game of the series 10-2. Harrison pitched for the first two innings until McCann relieved her in the second. McCann pitched until the fourth inning, when she was relieved by Touchet, who was then subbed out with Pannell.

Harrison allowed three runs on five hits and McCann allowed four runs on four hits. Touchet allowed three runs on three hits and Pannell allowed no runs with one hit.

The Tigers and the Bulldogs both earned two runs in the first inning. Mississippi State took a strong 4-2 lead in the third with a home run and an RBI. With no response from Missouri, the Bulldogs brought in five runs in the fourth inning thanks to a home run from freshman infielder Morgan Stiles and a grand-slam from Sells.

Pannell has now thrown 100 career innings at Missouri. Ebbs marked her 9th home run of the season this game and now has 34 career homers. She finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs, a homer and a run. She earned five RBIs from the weekend.

The Tigers came home to play Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on April 15 at 5 p.m. at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.

Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Ava Mohror | amohror@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com