Mizzou sluggers Kara Daly (19) and Chantice Phillips (28) celebrate Sunday’s win over North Texas. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri (10-0) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
| North Texas (3-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
WP: Laurin Krings – MU (5-0) LP: McKenzie Wagoner – UNT (1-1)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
DENTON, TX — The University of Missouri softball team concluded its second straight perfect weekend on Sunday, when it defeated North Texas, 11-2, in the final game of the Tracy Beard Classic at Lovelace Stadium.
Missouri is now 10-0 on the season, which is the best start to a season the Tigers have had since the 2009 team began the year 12-0. That Mizzou team won 50 games and made it to the Women’s College World Series.
This season is only two weeks old, so it’s probably too early to be calling any team a WCWS contender. But this year’s Tigers have looked pretty doggone good in winning each of its first 10 games of the season.
On Sunday, Missouri run-ruled North Texas and it did it by combining some brilliant clutch hitting and even better starting pitching by ace Laurin Krings.
The junior righthander from Loveland, Colo., improved her personal record to 5-0 on the season by tossing three shutout innings in which she gave up no hits and allowed just one walk, with three strikeouts.
Krings was last week’s D1Softball.com’s National Pitcher of the Week and she continued to dominate for the Tigers this weekend, by winning both games she appeared in.
Offensively, Mizzou was led by junior shortstop Jenna Laird, who had two hits, scored two runs, drove in a run. Madison Walker also had two hits, while Julia Crenshaw and Maddie Gallagher both had two RBIs.
But the big hitting star of the day was sophomore utility player Katie Chester, who blasted a grand slam — the first of her career and second homer this season — to cap Mizzou’s seven-run fourth inning. That made the score 11-0 and put the Tigers in position to end the game early.
Which Mizzou was able to do thanks to the quality relief pitching of Marissa McCann and Cierra Harrison. The duo closed out the game, with Harrison only needing to throw one pitch to get the final out.
After spending Week 1 in Florida and Week 2 in Texas, Missouri will be in California next weekend, for the 2024 Mary Nutter Classic. The Tigers will face several big time programs, including San Diego State, Wisconsin, Central Florida, Cal State-Fullerton, and No. 22-ranked Baylor.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MU | UNT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MU | 3rd | Honnold doubled to left center, RBI (1-1 SB); Laird advanced to third; Lenger scored. | 1 | 0 |
| MU | 3rd | Crenshaw doubled to left center, 2 RBI (2-2 KBFBF); Honnold scored; Laird scored. | 3 | 0 |
| MU | 3rd | Gallagher singled down the lf line, RBI (3-2 BBKKFB); Crenshaw scored. | 4 | 0 |
| MU | 4th | Laird singled down the 3b line, RBI (3-1 BBBK); Lenger advanced to second; Walker advanced to third; Abruscato scored. | 5 | 0 |
| MU | 4th | Daly walked, RBI (3-1 BBBKB); Laird advanced to second; Lenger advanced to third; Walker scored. | 6 | 0 |
| MU | 4th | Gallagher walked, RBI (3-1 BBKBB); Daly advanced to second; Laird advanced to third; Lenger scored. | 7 | 0 |
| MU | 4th | Chester homered to right center, 4 RBI (1-1 KB); Gallagher scored; Daly scored; Laird scored. | 11 | 0 |
 | UNT | 5th | Donohoe, S. homered to left field, 2 RBI (1-0 B); Christensen scored. | 11 | 2 |
