Mizzou’s Mya Dodge hit two home runs in the Tigers’ 20-0 win over Fordham on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Photo)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
HEMPSTEAD, NY — With a week off from Southeastern Conference play, the University of Missouri softball team is taking a weeklong road trip across the east coast.
The first stop was on Tuesday in upstate New York, where the Tigers played a twinbill against mid-major powerhouses, Fordham and Hofstra.
And the two games couldn’t have been more different. In Game 1, Missouri had an offensive explosion, where it banged out 15 hits and scored 20 runs in a 20-0 run-rule win over Fordham. Then in Game 2, the Tigers had to pull out a 2-1 win in a nine-inning, extra-inning game against Hofstra.
#16 Missouri 20, Fordham 0
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Missouri (26-7) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 20 | 15 | 0 |
| Fordham (12-8-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
WP: Cierra Harrison – MIZ (10-1) LP: Holly Beeman – FU (6-5)
Every Mizzou player that batted reached base at least once in Game 1 against Fordham. The Tigers finished with 15 hits and drew 10 walks in one of its biggest wins of the season.
Four Missouri batters had at least two hits, including left fielder Mya Dodge, who had three, including two home runs, and five RBIs. Kara Daly, Stefania Abruscato, and Jenna Laird were the other players to get two hits.
Daly also homered in the game. It was her team-leading fifth of the season.
Laird had three RBIs and scored three runs, while freshman Abby Hay came off the bench to reach base twice. She drew a bases loaded walk in one at-bat and then cleared the bases with a three-run double in her second at-bat.
Sophomore pitcher Cierra Harrison (10-1) got the win in the circle, after tossing 4 2/3 innings and allowing one hit and zero runs. She also walked none and struck out six.
Missouri 2, Hofstra 1
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Missouri (27-7) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Hofstra (12-8-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
WP: Marissa McCann – MIZ (5-1) LP: Julia Apsel – HOF (6-5)
Freshman Stefania Abruscato delivered a clutch, two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth to lift Mizzou to a 2-1 win in Game 2 against Hofstra.
After lighting up Fordham for 15 hits in the opener, the Tigers managed just four hits in the nightcap. But two of them came with two outs and runners on base.
The first one came in the top of the third, after Alex Honnold had tripled with two outs. Maddie Gallagher then came up and laced a single up the middle to put Mizzou on the board.
Hofstra tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, on a solo homer by Heather Vaillancourt. Neither team could score in the seventh, which sent the game into extra innings.
The pitcher’s duel continued into the ninth, when Daly led off the top half with a walk. She then took second on a sacrifice bunt and went to third on a sacrifice fly.
That brought Abruscato to the plate, who was playing her first collegiate game in front of friends and family from nearby Smithtown, N.Y. And the hometown girl delivered, as she drilled a single up the middle to score Daly and give Missouri the lead.
Fellow freshman Marissa McCann (5-1), who took over in the fifth inning, mowed down the Pride lineup to get the final three outs and the win.
Missouri (27-7) will continue its trip through the eastern seaboard on Thursday, when it travels down to Fairfax, Va., to take on George Mason. The Tigers will conclude their trip on Saturday with a game in Pennsylvania against Villanova.
Mizzou’s next set of home games will come next Tuesday, April 3, when the Tigers will host a doubleheader at Mizzou Softball Stadium against Southeast Missouri State.
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |