COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Tigers rallied for revenge.
No. 7 Missouri softball beat Omaha 5-1 on Sunday, setting up another game between the teams for which team would advance from the weekend’s NCAA Tournament regional.
It took a seventh-inning comeback for Mizzou to secure a victory, tying the game by bringing a runner around before center fielder Alex Honnold hit a game-winning two-run home run.
The victory was a reversal from MU’s Friday game against the Mavericks, which ended in an extra-innings upset and sent the Tigers into the consolation bracket. The tournament is double elimination, which allowed Mizzou to battle back to Sunday’s game with elimination-game victories over both Indiana and Washington.
Because both Missouri and Omaha have one loss in the tournament, they’ll play again Sunday in a decisive final game. The winner will advance to a best-of-three super regional series against another team that emerges from a regional tournament.
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If MU beats Omaha again, it will host that series. The eight teams that win super regionals then advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
LOB threat
Missouri left three runners on base through the first two innings, a continuation of the early struggles at stringing together hits that limited the Tigers in their Friday loss to Omaha.
Third baseman Kara Daly hit a two-out double deep into the outfield in the second inning, which right fielder Kayley Lenger followed up by taking a pitch to the body — the 20th time she’s been hit by a pitch this season.
Left fielder Claire Cahalan, the last hitter in the order, laid down a bunt in an attempt to reach base and extend the inning. The ball fell inside the batter’s box, though, making it a routine inning-ending play for the Mavericks catcher.
The Tigers’ offense stalled from there, with 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth.
The left-on-base struggle continued into the fifth inning after a play that ought to be dubbed the Daly double double: Up to bat for the second time, Daly chased her second-inning double with another two-bagger, taking an additional bag when Omaha’s center fielder dove for the ball but fumbled the catch.
She advanced to third on a Lenger sacrifice bunt, but a strikeout from pinch hitter Katie Chester and run-saving running catch from Omaha center fielder Marra Cramer left her stranded just one base away from scoring.
MU still couldn’t get a run across the plate when the Mavericks put a point on a platter.
Honnold singled through the gap between first and second to lead off the sixth inning, then benefited from a significant Omaha error. The Mavericks’ left fielder caught a short fly ball, then flung it toward first base in an attempt to catch Honnold astray. It instead soared into the first-base dugout, granting Honnold third base — she got second base because she was between the bases and one extra because the ball was thrown out of play.
Krings flirts with no-no
Fresh — or not so fresh — off two Saturday outings that required a combined 163 pitches, Mizzou pitcher Laurin Krings stepped into the circle as the Tigers’ starter and held a no-hit bid for five innings.
Her control teetered in the second inning as she walked back-to-back batters, drawing a visit from coach Larissa Anderson. Krings quickly refocused to get a gentle line drive sent toward Daly at third base for the frame’s final out.
She took care of fielding work herself in the fifth inning, corralling a ground ball and turning around to throw to second, kick-starting a double play to keep Omaha off the board.
The Mavericks led off the sixth inning with a double that broke up Krings’ no-hitter look and ended her start. Closer Taylor Pannell took over, eventually earning the win.
The breakthroughs
The double from Cramer that ended Krings’ outing led to the first run of the game. The Omaha center fielder charged toward third base on a fly ball to right field, drawing a long throw from Lenger, who caught it. The Tigers reciprocated Omaha’s earlier error, sending the ball out of play.
The throwing error gave Cramer home plate and Omaha a 1-0 lead.
Daly walked to start the seventh inning, putting the tying run on the base paths. After Lenger flew out, pinch hitter Madison Walker popped a clutch single over first base, sending Danielle Blackstun — who pinch ran for Daly — to third.
Blackstun scored on a Laird ground ball to shortstop that Omaha didn’t fire toward the plate.
And then the Tigers won it. Honnold, with two outs, slammed a pitch back over the right field fence for a two-run home run that give Mizzou a 3-1 advantage.
Catcher Julia Crenshaw drove in two more runs after Omaha put two MU runners in scoring position with a pair of walks and a wild pitch.
SIUC, SEMO eliminated
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, which was making its first NCAA Regional softball final appearance in school history, was routed 9-0 Sunday by host Louisiana State in the Baton Rouge Regional title game to end its season at 44-12. The Salukis, winner of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, had rallied to beat California 3-2 on Saturday to stay alive in Baton Rouge. That was after SIU defeated Cal 5-4 on Friday but lost 4-1 to LSU on Saturday.
SEMO lost its two games in the Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional. The Redhawks, the Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion, fell o the host Razorbacks 3-2 on Friday then dropped a 4-1 decision on Saturday to Villanova. Southeast Missouri thus concluded its season at 28-26.