Kayley Lenger (99) slides safely into third base during Mizzou’s SEC Tournament win over Ole Miss on Wednesday. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #13 Ole Miss (31-25) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| #5 Missouri (41-14) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 5 | 0 |
WP: Laurin Krings – MIZ (13-7) LP: Brianna Lopez – MISS (6-5) SV: Taylor Pannell – MIZ (13)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
AUBURN, AL — As it did all through the regular season, the University of Missouri softball team began its postseason run by using brilliant pitching and dynamite defense to hold off Mississippi and earn itself a 3-1 win in a first round game of the SEC Championship Tournament at Jane B. Moore Field at Auburn University.
Starting pitcher Laurin Krings (13-7) led the way for Missouri. She pitched six innings and gave up just one run on only three hits to make sure Ole Miss never got its offense going.
The Tiger defense also made several outstanding defensive plays, including two running catches in the outfield and two diving plays to get outs in the infield. Ole Miss’s only run came on a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning.
Sophomore reliever Taylor Pannell got the final three outs to close out the game and earn her NCAA-leading 13th save of the season.
With Krings, Pannell, and the Tiger defense holding off Ole Miss’s offense, Mizzou’s offense didn’t need to do a whole lot to take control of the game. The Tigers scored all three of its runs, with the help of three hits and three walks, in the bottom of the third inning.
Kayley Lenger began the rally when she drew a one-out walk. She then advanced to third, on an aggressive baserunning play, on a single by Jenna Laird, who took second when the Ole Miss defense threw to third to try to get Lenger.
Alex Honnold then came through with a two-run double that scored Lenger and Laird to put Mizzou up 2-0.
The next batter, Maddie Gallagher walked. That brought up Mizzou’s hottest hitter, first baseman Abby Hay. And the freshman from Columbia, Mo., came through in a big way, as she drilled a single to center that scored Honnold and gave Missouri a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers could’ve added more, as freshman Stefania Abruscato drew a walk to load the bases, but Ole Miss managed to get out of the jam by getting Julia Crenshaw to fly out for the final out.
That was the only real rally Mizzou put together in the game, but it proved to be enough due to Krings and Pannell’s dominant pitching. Other than the home run in the top of the seventh, Ole Miss only managed to get two runners as far as second base, and never had any runners safely reach third, the entire game.
The victory lifted Missouri’s overall season record to 41-14. The newest national rankings came out on Wednesday and the Tigers were ranked No. 12 in the country.
In the SEC Tournament, Mizzou is the No. 5 seed and it will now move on to the tournament quarterfinals, where the Tigers will play No. 4 seed Arkansas on Thursday.
First pitch for that game is slated for 35 minutes following the day’s opening game between No. 1 seed Tennessee and No. 8 seed LSU. That matchup should end somewhere around noon, which means the Mizzou-Arkansas contest should begin somewhere between 12:30 pm and 1 pm. All games on Thursday will be televised on the SEC Network.
THURSDAY UPDATE: Weather delay has caused all games on Thursday to be moved back.
The winners of those two contests will advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals on Friday, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the SEC Tournament championship game on Saturday. Missouri last played in the SEC Tournament championship game in 2022, when it lost to Arkansas, 4-0.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MISS | MIZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MIZ | 3rd | Honnold doubled to right center, 2 RBI (1-0 B); Laird scored; Lenger scored. | 0 | 2 |
| MIZ | 3rd | Hay singled to left center, RBI (2-2 BFFFFB); Gallagher advanced to third; Honnold scored. | 0 | 3 |
 | MISS | 7th | A. Furbush homered to right center, RBI (0-1 F). | 1 | 3 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2024 (Thursday) | 12:30 pm | SEC Tournament – Quarterfinals | vs. Arkansas | Auburn, Ala. |  |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | SEC Tournament – Semifinals | TBA | Auburn, Ala. | ESPN2 |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 4 pm | SEC Tournament – Championship Game | TBA | Auburn, Ala. | ESPN2 |
| May 17-19, 2024 | TBA | NCAA Tournament Regionals | TBA | TBA | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |