Mizzou players celebrate with Abby Hay (36) after her three-run home run gave the Tigers the lead on Sunday. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Photo)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #13 Missouri (40-14) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| South Carolina (33-21) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
WP: Taylor Pannell – MIZ (2-1) LP: Sage Mardjetko – SC (8-8)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, SC — The University of Missouri softball team closed out its 2024 regular season with a bang on Sunday. Freshman Abby Hay smacked a three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to lead No. 13 Missouri to a 5-2 win and a weekend series sweep over South Carolina.
It was Mizzou’s first series sweep of the season and first for the program since 2022. The victory also lifted Missouri’s overall record to 40-14, which marked the first time the Tigers reached 40 wins in a season since 2021.
Mizzou’s SEC record is 13-11, which is the most for the Tigers since 2021. Those 13 wins means Missouri will be the No. 5 seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament, which will be played at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala., beginning on Tuesday.
The opening round game will be No. 12 seed Kentucky versus No. 13 seed Mississippi. The winner of that game will play Missouri on Wednesday in a matchup that is slated to begin at 1 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.
If Missouri wins its first round game, it will advance to the tournament quarterfinals, where it will play No. 4 seed Arkansas on Thursday. The winner of that contest will advance to the semifinals on Friday, with that winner advancing to the SEC Tournament Championship Game on Saturday. The tournament semifinals and championship will be televised on ESPN2.
Brilliant pitching by both sides was the story of the day for most of Sunday’s game between the Tigers and Gamecocks. Mizzou used four pitchers to hold South Carolina to seven hits and just two runs.
Starter Laurin Krings pitched four innings and only gave up a single run on four hits, with four strikeouts. Relievers Lilly Whitten and Marissa McCann combined pitched the next two innings and only gave up a run on two hits. That was Whitten. McCann gave up no hits and no runs in her 2/3 innings tossed.
Closer Taylor Pannell came in and pitched the final four innings for the Tigers and was just dynamite. The sophomore lefty from Lee’s Summit, who leads the nation in saves, didn’t allow any runs and just one hit as she kept South Carolina’s offense stymied until her own hitters could get going.
And that happened in the top of the 10th, when Kayley Lenger walked and Alex Honnold singled then stole second base. That brought Hay to the plate with two outs and two runners in scoring position.
And as she has so often this season, the freshman from Columbia, Mo., delivered by blasting a three-run shot over the centerfield wall to give Missouri the lead. It was Hay’s third homer of the season.
The Gamecocks struck first Sunday with a sacrifice fly from Bre Warren in the fourth.
Mizzou responded an inning later with a two-run homer from Kara Daly. It was her seventh home run of the season and it put the Tigers ahead 2-1.
South Carolina retied the contest with a double steal in the fifth, on a controversial play where the stealer at home was originally ruled out, but later after review, it was determined that Mizzou catcher Julia Crenshaw blocked home plate and the Gamecocks were awarded the tying run.
The score stayed tied at two for the next 4-plus innings until Hay’s mighty blow gave Mizzou the final lead.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MIZ | SC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SC | 4th | B. Warren flied out to lf, SF, RBI (0-2 SK); K. Ricks scored, unearned. | 0 | 1 |
 | MIZ | 5th | Daly homered to left field, 2 RBI (0-0); Cahalan scored. | 2 | 1 |
| SC | 5th | R. Blampied stole second; D. Bryant stole home, unearned. | 2 | 2 |
| MIZ | 10th | Hay homered to center field, 3 RBI (3-2 SKBFBB); Honnold scored; Lenger scored. | 5 | 2 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2024 (Wednesday) | 1 pm | Neutral | SEC Tournament – 1st Round | Auburn, Ala. |  |
| May 9, 2024 (Thursday) | TBA | Neutral | SEC Tournament – Quarterfinals | Auburn, Ala. | |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Neutral | SEC Tournament – Semifinals | Auburn, Ala. | ESPN2 |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 4 pm | Neutral | SEC Tournament – Championship Game | Auburn, Ala. | ESPN2 |