Mizzou closer Taylor Pannell (78) and catcher Julia Crenshaw celebrate getting the final out in the Tigers’ win over Duke on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)
| NCAA Softball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizzou (48-17) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Duke (51-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
WP: Laurin Krings – MIZ (17-9) L: Jala Wright – DUKE (19-2) SV: Taylor Pannell – MIZ (15)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — The Tigers are not done yet.
That was the overwhelming statement the University of Missouri softball team made on Saturday, when it took on Duke in Game 2 of NCAA Super Regionals at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. The visitors from North Carolina won Game 1 and could have eliminated Missouri and ended its season with a win in Game 2. But the Tigers would not let it happen.
Mizzou got some brilliant clutch hitting, made a couple of smart baserunning moves, and all the heart-stopping clutch pitching anyone could stand to pull off a 3-1 win and force a decisive Game 3 on Sunday.
It was the fifth straight win in an elimination game for the Tigers, who had to win four straight in the regionals to get to this weekend’s super regionals. They did that and on Saturday, with the season on the line, they did it again.
“We’ve just talked about how we don’t want this to be over,” Mizzou head coach Larissa Anderson said. “Everybody on this team. We all know this could be our last game together as a group. And we don’t want it to be over. We knew we had some things to fix from yesterday and, we weren’t perfect, but we were better and it got us the win today.”
The list of who played better in Game 2 than they did in Game 1 is almost endless. But it begins with starting pitcher Laurin Krings, who gave up five runs and took the loss in Game 1.
In Game 2 though, the senior righthander from Loveland, Colo., allowed just one run and two hits, with no walks and three strikeouts to get Mizzou deep into the game with the lead. Duke managed to hit several balls hard off her in Game 1, but Krings (17-9) seemed to have them baffled in Game 2.
“The whole key with Krings is her changeup,” Anderson said. “(In Game 1), the speed of her changeup and her hard stuff was too close, so they were able to get the bat on the ball. So we talked about getting that changeup a little bit slower.”
When Krings did get into a little bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth, Missouri turned to closer Taylor Pannell, who came in and shut the door on Duke’s often powerful offense.
It didn’t come without some drama though. The Blue Devils loaded the bases with one out in that sixth inning and on an 0-1 pitch, Duke cleanup hitter Ana Gold launched a deep blast that everyone in the building knew was going to go home run distance as soon as it left the bat.
Fortunately for the Tigers, the ball sailed foul and became a long, loud strike two. Anderson went out to talk to Pannell after that pitch and offered some advice that must’ve worked because Pannell struck Gold out on the next pitch.
When asked if she could share what she told Pannell, Anderson chuckled and said, “I told her to strike her out on the next pitch.”
Pannell got the next out to end the inning and then the final three outs in the seventh to end the game, which gave her 15 saves on the season, tying the NCAA single season record for saves in a season.
“I feel like it’s really special to do this at home in front of our crowd,” Pannell said. “I had no idea this was going to be a save until somebody told me. It’s just really special; words can’t describe how it feels.”
Mizzou put itself in position to be holding a late lead by posting a big fourth inning. The Tigers scored three runs on three hits and used some aggressive base running to take advantage of a couple of Duke defensive miscues.
Freshman cleanup hitter Abby Hay came to the plate with runners on first and second and one out, and drilled a single into right field. That scored Alex Honnold, who had singled earlier in the inning. Then when right fielder Claire Davidson’s throw got away, Maddie Gallagher was able to race home and score to give Mizzou a 2-0 lead and Hay was able to make it all the way to third, still with only one out.
That set up the next batter Julia Crenshaw, who smashed a ball off the Duke pitcher’s glove that was fielded by the shortstop, but because of the deflection, Hay was able to score, while Crenshaw was thrown out at first to make the score 3-0.
Duke got its lone run on a solo homer by Francesca Frelick in the bottom of the fifth. It was her second homer of the super regional and seventh of the season.
From there, the pitching staffs took over. Duke’s Cassidy Curd, who shut down Mizzou for the final five innings of Game 1, did the same thing in Game 2 to keep the Blue Devils in it. But Mizzou’s Pannell was also up to the task and kept Duke off the board as well to land the Tigers another elimination game win.
“I just knew I had to empty the tank, give it everything for this team,” Pannell said. “They got me this far, and I was gonna do whatever it takes to get this win.”
The deciding Game 3 between Duke and Mizzou will be played on Sunday at 5 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. It will be one of five Super Regional deciding games that will be played on Sunday, with the winners advancing to the Women’s College World Series, which will begin in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Mizzou hasn’t been to the WCWS since 2011 and Duke has never been. Either way, it will be a historic day for somebody at the Mizzou Softball Stadium on Sunday.
“Tomorrow doesn’t care what we did today,” Anderson said. “Today’s win does not carry over. It’s a whole new slate, and they’re going to be coming after us the same way we’re going to be going after them.”
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MIZ | DUKE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MIZ | 4th | Hay singled to right field, advanced to third on the throw, RBI (2-1 BKB); Gallagher advanced to third, scored on a throwing error by rf; Honnold scored. | 2 | 0 |
| MIZ | 4th | Crenshaw out at first p to ss to 1b, RBI (1-0 B); Hay scored, unearned. | 3 | 0 |
 | DUKE | 5th | F. Frelick homered to left field, RBI (1-1 KB). | 3 | 1 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL SUPER-REGIONAL SCHEDULE
| Date | Gametime | Event | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2024 (Sunday) | 5 pm | NCAA Tournament Regionals | vs. #10 Duke | Mizzou Softball Stadium |  |