COLUMBIA, Mo. — The hosts had their party spoiled.
Omaha upset No. 7 Missouri softball in extra innings in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, putting the Tigers’ aspirations of advancing past a home regional to host a Super Regional series in jeopardy.
The Mavericks, the lowest-ranked of four teams in Columbia for this weekend’s event, won 3-1 thanks to a ninth-inning home run.
The regional round is double elimination, so Mizzou can still battle back to advance, but its margin for error has vanished. The Tigers will play Indiana in an elimination game on Saturday.
Friday’s offensive struggles still yielded some opportunities for MU. Back-to-back innings began with a pair of baserunners and no outs, only to wind up fruitless. Missouri left seven runners on base.
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MU coach Larissa Anderson opted to use No. 2 starting pitcher in Cierra Harrison in the circle, saving ace Laurin Krings for a vital Saturday outing in the Tigers’ second game of the regional. Harrison pitched four innings, allowing one run off three hits and striking out six batters.
Freshman pitcher Marissa McCann provided four innings of seamless relief before giving up the decisive two-run home run.
The visitors started their scoring early. With two outs in the first inning, Omaha right fielder Sydney Thomason got the barrel of her bat around on a pitch from Harrison, arcing it over the fence in left-center to give the visitors a rather immediate 1-0 lead.
A hit batter and walk gave Missouri a baserunner in the first and second innings, but the Tigers didn’t find a way to advance either. Right fielder Kayley Lenger provided Mizzou’s first hit of the game in the bottom of the third inning by laying down a bunt between the pitcher and first base.
Shortstop and leadoff hitter Jenna Laird was hit by the next pitch, setting the Tigers up nicely with two runners on and no outs. Lenger was caught trying to steal third, though, and a fireball of a throw from Omaha centerfielder Sydney Ross beat Laird to home plate by a considerable margin when the MU player tried to score from second off a hard-hit ground ball to the outfield.
The bottom of the fourth inning dripped with déjà vu.
A walk and hit batter once again gave Missouri two runners on base with no outs. This time, a fielder’s choice on a ground ball led to an out at second but runners-on-the-corners setup for the Tigers. Two strikeouts later, though, the outcome was the same: a doughnut on Mizzou’s half of the scoreboard.
The fifth inning saw MU get Laird on base through a walk, though another fielder’s choice plucked her from the base paths before an infield fly ended the inning.
And the sixth inning saw the breakthrough. First baseman Abby Hay singled with a blooper just over the infield. She advanced to third when catcher Julia Crenshaw’s ground ball deflected off an infielder’s glove. Crenshaw stole second unhindered, giving Mizzou the winning run in scoring position with no outs.
Designated player Stefania Abruscato grounded out to first without advancing the runners, thanks to a careful staredown from the Omaha infield. A sacrifice fly from third baseman Kara Daly scored Hay, tying the game at 1-1.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, a fly ball from centerfielder Alex Honnold threatened to cross the outfield fence but fell into an Omaha outfielder’s glove on the warning track.
Neither team scored in the eighth inning, though each did have a baserunner.
With two outs in the top of the inning and a runner on first, Omaha left fielder Ava Rongisch smacked a ball over the centerfield fence for the game-winning runs.
Backed against the wall in the bottom of the ninth, Mizzou went down 1-2-3.
Missouri will play Indiana (40-19, 12-11 Big Ten) in a Saturday elimination game. The Hoosiers lost to Washington in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. After trailing early, Indiana found the power to blast the ball around for a four-run fourth inning, sticking with the Huskies until Washington ultimately won on a walk-off double.
The Hoosiers’ offense was effective on Friday — all but one batter managed a hit — but some defensive miscues and throwing errors cost them the game.
“We know, gosh, it doesn’t matter who they throw at us — offensively, I feel like we were able to clutch up,†Indiana coach Shonda Stanton said. “We know, as long as we clean up the defensive miscues, we’re gonna have a heck of a weekend here.â€
That game will begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Because the regional operates as a double-elimination tournament, the loser of that matchup will be knocked out. The winner will play again at 7 p.m. against the loser of an earlier game between Omaha and Washington.
Columbia Regional schedule (game times approximate)
2 p.m. Saturday – Game 3: Washington vs. Omaha
4:30 p.m. Saturday – Game 4: Indiana vs. Missouri
7 p.m. Saturday – Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
TBD Sunday – Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
(If necessary) TBD Sunday — Game 7: Rematch if Game 5 winner wins Game 6