Mizzou pitcher Cierra Harrison tossed her second straight complete-game shutout to lead the Tigers to a 5-0 win over Auburn on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Photo)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #25 Auburn (12-4-1, 0-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| #12 Missouri (20-2, 2-0) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 7 | 1 |
WP: Cierra Harrison – MIZ (7-0) LP: Annabelle Widra (3-1)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, MO — Cierra Harrison tossed her second straight complete-game shutout and Chantice Phillips blasted a three-run homer to lead the No. 12-ranked University of Missouri softball team to a 5-0 win over No. 25 Auburn, Saturday afternoon at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
The victory clinched a series win for Missouri and lifted the team’s record to 20-2, which is the team’s best start to a season since it began the 2013 season with a 22-2 mark. That year, the Tigers went 38-14 and qualified for the NCAA postseason.
Harrison registered her third complete-game shutout of the season to improve to 7-0 in 2024. The sophomore from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, allowed no runs on five hits to go with nine strikeouts while going the distance in the circle.
Harrison commenced the game with a 1-2-3 inning of work and struck out three of the first five batters she faced.
Mizzou then got on the board in the bottom half of the first. Jenna Laird knocked a leadoff single and advanced to third following a double from Alex Honnold. Laird then tagged home on a wild pitch.
The host Tigers then held Auburn scoreless in the top of the second with a pair of strikeouts and a pop out after scattering a pair of base hits.
Katie Chester then notched a one-out double to right field before Madison Walker reached on an error to set the stage for Phillips’ second homer of the season.
Facing an 0-1 count, Phillips drilled a three-run shot to right center to push the Mizzou edge to 4-0. Honnold then added an RBI single to center field to wrap the scoring.
Harrison retired eight straight batters from the third through the fifth including fanning the side in the fourth.
She pitched around a leadoff walk in the sixth, utilizing her defense for three-straight outs.
Harrison then concluded her second complete-game shutout of the week, scattering a pair of hits in the seventh. With one out and runners on first and second, she earned a strikeout and a groundout to seal the win.
Mizzou will go for the series sweep on Sunday, when it hosts Auburn in a 12 p.m. game that will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | AUB | MIZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MIZ | 1st | Honnold advanced to third on a wild pitch; Laird scored on a wild pitch. | 0 | 1 |
| MIZ | 2nd | Phillips (2) homered to right center, 3 RBI, unearned (0-1); Blackstun scored, unearned; Cahalan scored, unearned. | 0 | 4 |
| MIZ | 2nd | Honnold singled to center field, RBI (0-1); Lenger scored, unearned. | 0 | 5 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Home | 25 Auburn | Mizzou Softball Stadium |  |
| March 13, 2024 (Wednesday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Illinois | Urbana-Champaign, Ill. | |
| March 13, 2024 (Wednesday) | 3:30 p.m. | Away | Illinois | Urbana-Champaign, Ill. | |
| March 15, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Away | 5 Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| March 16, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | 5 Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| March 17, 2024 (Sunday) | 12:30 p.m. | Away | 5 Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| March 20, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | |
| March 22, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | 14 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Home | 14 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| March 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | 14 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Fordham | Hempstead, N.Y. | |
| March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3:30 p.m. | Away | Hofstra | Hempstead, N.Y. | |
| March 28, 2024 (Thursday) | 3 p.m. | Away | George Mason | Fairfax, Va. | |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 9 a.m. | Away | Villanova | Villanova, Pa. | |
| April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 5, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Away | 16 Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. |  |
| April 6, 2024 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | 16 Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| April 7, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | 16 Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| April 10, 2024 (Wednesday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Drake | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | 17 Florida | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 12:30 p.m. | Home | 17 Florida | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 14, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | 17 Florida | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 17, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Away | 6 Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | 6 Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | 6 Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| April 29, 2024 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Mizzou Softball Stadium | |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Away | 23 South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Away | 23 South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | 23 South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | |
| May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Auburn, Ala. |