Mizzou pitcher Laurin Krings pitched a complete-game shutout, late Saturday night, to help the Tigers advance to the NCAA Regional Finals against Arizona. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
On Day 2 of the NCAA Division I Softball Columbia Regional at the Mizzou Softball Stadium, the University of Missouri women’s softball team kept its season alive by claiming a 2-0 late-night victory over in-state rival Missouri State. The Tigers had defeated the Bears on Friday, to advance to a winner’s bracket game against Arizona, early on Saturday.
Mizzou lost that game to the Wildcats, 2-0, and were forced to play a must-have elimination game against Missouri State late on Saturday.
Fortunately, the Tigers got a brilliant pitching effort from sophomore Laurin Krings, who delivered a complete-game shutout, with 11 strikeouts and no walks, to lead Mizzou to the win.
Fellow sophomore Jenna Laird got the Missouri offense started, when she laced a triple into the left-centerfield gap to lead off the game, then scored when teammate Brooke Wilmes lined a single on the first pitch she saw to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Freshman Kara Daly led off the second inning with an opposite-field home run, her 13th of the season, to make it 2-0 Mizzou. And that was all the home team would need, as Krings blew through the Missouri State offense with ease for the second straight day.
The victory means Missouri will advance to Championship Sunday, where they will play Arizona again, for the right to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Since the Tigers already have one loss in the regional, they would need to defeat Arizona twice on Sunday to advance. Arizona, which is 2-0 in the regional, would just need to win once to advance.
First pitch for what Tiger fans hope will be the first of two games, is scheduled for 3 p.m. If a third and final game between the two teams in necessary, it will begin around 6 p.m.