Mizzou slugger Abby Hay (36) celebrates with teammates after hitting a game-tying home run in the Tigers’ win over Tennessee on Saturday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9 Tennessee (42-9) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Mizzou (28-28) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
WP: Abby Carr – MIZZ (6-4) LP: Karlyn Pickens – TENN (13-7)
COLUMBIA, MO — Abby Carr got the win in the circle and delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit at the plate, in the University of Missouri softball team’s thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind victory over No. 9 Tennessee, Saturday afternoon at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
Missouri, which needed the win to keep its hopes of making the NCAA postseason alive, trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before putting together the game-winning rally in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Madison Uptegrove led off by reaching on an error. She was later thrown out trying to advance to third on a groundball hit by Addy Waits. Waits advanced to second on a two-out hit by Stefania Abruscato.
That brought Carr to the plate, with a chance to deliver what might be the biggest hit of the season for the Tigers. And the freshman from St. Louis, who starred at Lafayette High School in West County, came through in huge fashion.
Carr smacked a line shot to right field for a single, which was misplayed by Tennessee outfielder Gabby Leach. That allowed Waits and Abruscato to both score to give Missouri the lead.
Once Mizzou grabbed its first lead of the day, Carr made it stand by retiring the Lady Vols in order in the seventh. She struck out Meredith Barnhart, then got Ella Dodge to fly out on a sliding catch by Linny Ramsey, before getting the final out on a soft liner to third by Alannah Leach.
“Just a great win for us,” Mizzou head coach Larissa Anderson said. “I’m proud of these girlsā¦ to fight back and not give up. It was just awesome to see.”
Tennessee grabbed the initial lead when it scored in the first inning on an RBI double by Gabby Leach. The Lady Vols added a run in the fourth on a solo home run by Elsa Morrison.
Mizzou got its first run when Ramsey scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth. The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, when junior slugger Abby Hay smacked a long home run — her 10th of the season — over the left field wall.
Tennessee regained the lead in the top of the sixth on a two-out bloop hit by Sophia Knight.
Once they had the lead and needed just six outs to win the game and sweep the series, the Lady Vols brought in senior All-American pitcher Karlyn Pickens to try to close out the game.
But Mizzou was up to the task, with Abruscato delivering a key two-out hit and Carr drilling the game-winning single to right.
“I was just trying to find something to hit and hit it hard,” Carr said. “(Pickens) is one of the best pitchers in the country, so you’re not going to get many chances to score against her. I’m just glad we got ours and that we took advantage of it.”
The Missouri Tigers will enter the SEC Tournament with a 28-28 record. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Missouri is now 28-28 heading into the SEC Tournament and needs to win at least one game in the tournament to remain eligible for the postseason.
The Tigers’ first game in the SEC Tournament will come on Tuesday, May 7, against Auburn. Mizzou is the No. 11 seed in the tournament. Auburn is the No. 14 seed.
First pitch for Tuesday’s matchup is 12 p.m. The winner will advance to play No. 6 seed Texas A&M on Wednesday.
2026 MISSOURI TIGERS SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament | Broadcast | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6 (Fri) | 9 a.m. | Neutral | Penn State | Clearwater, FL | NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic | L, 4-7 (0-1) | |
| Feb 6 (Fri) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | #5 Oregon | Clearwater, FL | NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic | L, 0-3 (0-2) | |
| Feb 7 (Sat) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | #23 Liberty | Clearwater, FL | NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic |  | W, 13-2 (1-2) |
| Feb 7 (Sat) | 5 p.m. | Neutral | BYU | Clearwater, FL | NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic | W, 9-6 (2-2) | |
| Feb 8 (Sun) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | South Alabama | Clearwater, FL | NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic | | L, 4-5 (2-3) |
| Feb 11 (Wed) | 5 p.m. | Away | Central Florida | Orlando, FL |  | L, 1-5 (2-4) | |
| Feb 13 (Fri) | 11:30 a.m. | Neutral | NC State | Clearwater, FL | Shriners Childrenās Clearwater Invitational |  | L, 7-13 (2-5) |
| Feb 13 (Fri) | 5 p.m. | Neutral | #7 UCLA | Clearwater, FL | Shriners Childrenās Clearwater Invitational | | L, 5-6 (2-6) |
| Feb 14 (Sat) | 9 a.m. | Neutral | Northwestern | Clearwater, FL | Shriners Childrenās Clearwater Invitational | | L, 0-3 (2-7) |
| Feb 14 (Sat) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | #23 Florida Atlantic | Clearwater, FL | Shriners Childrenās Clearwater Invitational | | W, 2-0 (3-7) |
| Feb 15 (Sun) | 8 a.m. | Neutral | #22 Duke | Clearwater, FL | Shriners Childrenās Clearwater Invitational | | W, 5-4 (4-7) |
| Feb 20 (Fri) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Houston | Lake Charles, LA | Cajun AC Louisiana Clash | L, 3-4 (4-8) | |
| Feb 20 (Fri) | 6 p.m. | Away | McNeese State | Lake Charles, LA | Cajun AC Louisiana Clash | | L, 3-5 (4-9) |
| Feb 21 (Sat) | 1:30 p.m. | Neutral | Houston | Lake Charles, LA | Cajun AC Louisiana Clash | W, 8-2 (5-9) | |
| Feb 21 (Sat) | 4 p.m. | Away | McNeese State | Lake Charles, LA | Cajun AC Louisiana Clash | | L, 1-4 (5-10) |
| Feb 22 (Sun) | 11 a.m. | Neutral | Louisiana | Lake Charles, LA | Cajun AC Louisiana Clash | L, 1-9 (5-11) | |
| Feb 27 (Fri) | 3 p.m. | Home | Wichita State | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Invitational |  | W, 12-4 (6-11) |
| Feb 27 (Fri) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Miami (Ohio) | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Invitational | | L, 1-5 (6-12) |
| Feb 28 (Sat) | 3 p.m. | Home | Drake | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Invitational | | W, 10-2 (7-12) |
| Feb 28 (Sat) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Miami (Ohio) | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Invitational | | L, 2-8 (7-13) |
| Mar 7 (Sat) | 12 p.m. | Away | #5 Florida | Gainesville, FL | | L, 4-5 (7-14) | |
| Mar 8 (Sun) | 3 p.m. | Away | #5 Florida | Gainesville, FL |  | L, 3-4 (7-15) | |
| Mar 9 (Mon) | 6 p.m. | Away | #5 Florida | Gainesville, FL | | L, 2-5 (7-16) | |
| Mar 11 (Wed) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Tenn-Martin | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 8-0 (8-16) | |
| Mar 13 (Fri) | 5 p.m. | Home | Minnesota | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Bye-Week Series | | W, 8-1 (9-16) |
| Mar 13 (Fri) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | South Dakota | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Bye-Week Series | | W, 9-4 (10-16) |
| Mar 14 (Sat) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | South Dakota | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Bye-Week Series | | W, 9-0 (11-16) |
| Mar 14 (Sat) | 5 p.m. | Home | Iowa State | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Mizzou Bye-Week Series | | W, 6-4 (12-16) |
| Mar 18 (Wed) | 1 p.m. | Away | Illinois | Champaign, IL |  | W, 3-0 (13-16) | |
| Mar 18 (Wed) | 3 p.m. | Away | Illinois | Champaign, IL | | W, 9-4 (14-16) | |
| Mar 20 (Fri) | 5 p.m. | Home | #6 Alabama | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 1-2 (14-17) | |
| Mar 21 (Sat) | 2 p.m. | Home | #6 Alabama | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 5-2 (15-17) | |
| Mar 22 (Sun) | 12 p.m. | Home | #6 Alabama | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 3-4 (15-18) | |
| Mar 24 (Tue) | 5 p.m. | Away | SIUE | Edwardsville, IL | | W, 8-0 (16-18) | |
| Mar 27 (Fri) | 6 p.m. | Away | #20 Auburn | Auburn, AL | | W, 3-0 (17-18) | |
| Mar 28 (Sat) | 2 p.m. | Away | #20 Auburn | Auburn, AL | | W, 6-3 (18-18) | |
| Mar 29 (Sun) | 1 p.m. | Away | #20 Auburn | Auburn, AL | | W, 6-4 (19-18) | |
| Mar 31 (Tue) | 5 p.m. | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, MO | W, 8-5 (20-18) | ||
| Apr 2 (Thu) | 6 p.m. | Home | #22 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 9-1 (20-19) | |
| Apr 3 (Fri) | 3 p.m. | Home | #22 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 16-4 (20-20) | |
| Apr 4 (Sat) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | #22 LSU | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 1-0 (21-20) | |
| Apr 10 (Fri) | 5 p.m. | Away | #11 Georgia | Athens, GA | | L, 8-0 (21-21) | |
| Apr 11 (Sat) | 1 p.m. | Away | #11 Georgia | Athens, GA | | W, 4-3 (22-21) | |
| Apr 12 (Sun) | 1 p.m. | Away | #11 Georgia | Athens, GA | | L, 4-0 (22-22) | |
| Apr 15 (Wed) | 5 p.m. | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, KS | | W 4-2 (23-22) | |
| Apr 17 (Fri) | 6 p.m. | Home | #25 South Carolina | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 5-2 (23-23) | |
| Apr 18 (Sat) | 5 p.m. | Home | #25 South Carolina | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 5-0 (24-23) | |
| Apr 19 (Sun) | 1 p.m. | Home | #25 South Carolina | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 4-0 (24-24) | |
| Apr 22 (Wed) | 6 p.m. | Home | SIUE | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 7-0 (25-24) | |
| Apr 24 (Fri) | 5 p.m. | Away | #6 Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | | L, 4-0 (25-25) | |
| Apr 25 (Sat) | 11 a.m. | Away | #6 Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | | L, 9-2 (25-26) | |
| Apr 26 (Sun) | 1 p.m. | Away | #6 Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | | W, 3-1 (26-26) | |
| Apr 28 (Tue) | 5 p.m. | Home | Kansas City | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 12-2 (27-26) | |
| Apr 30 (Thu) | 6 p.m. | Home | #9 Tennessee | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L, 3-1 (27-27) | |
| May 1 (Fri) | 6 p.m. | Home | #9 Tennessee | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | L 4-2 (27-28) | |
| May 2 (Sat) | 12 p.m. | Home | #9 Tennessee | Mizzou Softball Stadium | | W, 4-3 (28-28) | |
| May 7 (Tue) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | #14 Auburn | Lexington, KY | SEC Softball Tournament | |