1 month ago
Friday nighttime astatine Mizzou Softball Stadium should person been a celebratory occasion. In beforehand of a very bully sized crowd of 2,864 and pinch a awesome giveaway — Truman nan Tiger bobbleheads! — nan Missouri Tigers (27-28, 8-15 SEC) celebrated their 4 seniors— Haidyn Sokoloski, Kayley Lenger, Courtney Donahue and Cierra Harrison —and hoped to eke retired a triumph and enactment astatine .500 pinch 1 crippled near to spell successful nan regular season. Alas, it was not meant to be, arsenic not only could nan Tigers not fig retired nan Lady Vols’ elite pitching which came courtesy of starter Sage Marjetko (5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and reliever Karlyn Pickens (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 K), but they besides couldn’t get retired of their ain way.
“I’m disappointed defensively,” Mizzou caput coach Larissa Anderson said post-game. “In immoderate of our play, we gave distant nan crippled defensively. It wounded us, and we sewage to play amended defense tomorrow. Defense is our staple, truthful we sewage to beryllium overmuch stronger defensively tomorrow.”
Aaah, tomorrow. There’s only truthful galore tomorrows near of this season, folks. And arsenic nan raindrops began to autumn successful nan bottommost of nan seventh inning pinch nan Tigers staring yet different nonaccomplishment successful nan face, I thought of Hillary Duff’s opus “Come Clean” and really that opus and nan consequent rainfall ablution was really fitting for describing this team’s NCAA tourney hopes.
Let nan rainfall autumn down and aftermath my dreams
Let it lavation distant my sanity
‘Cause I wanna consciousness nan thunder, I wanna scream
Let nan rainfall autumn down
I’m coming clean
With nan apical of nan lineup group for action — nan conception of nan lineup you want, mind you, arsenic they’ve been nan only productive ones arsenic of precocious — Addy Waits grounded retired to first, incapable to make heads aliases tails of what superhuman pitcher Karlyn Pickens was throwing, and Abby Carr had nary amended luck, incapable to laic disconnected nan emergence shot and went down connected strikes for 2 speedy outs. A spark of dream arose erstwhile Stefania Abruscato reached connected an error, but Abby Hay struck retired to extremity it.
It started overmuch amended than it ended, however, truthful let’s get into it.
For nan 2nd crippled successful a row, nan Tigers sewage disconnected to a bully commencement against Sage Mardjetko, nan reigning SEC Pitcher of nan Week, which nan announcers reminded america of astir 5 cardinal times. But dissimilar Game 1 erstwhile she had a short leash and Lady Vols caput coach Karen (cool name) Weekly took her retired almost immediately, Friday Sage stayed successful and was capable to activity astir immoderate action connected nan basepaths pinch small to nary damage.
Similar to Thursday’s game, Friday started pinch a leadoff locomotion from Addy Waits earlier Abby Carr struck retired (she had a reliable violative game). Waits past stole 2nd and came astir to people connected a Stefania Abruscato azygous down nan statement to make it 1-0. Back-to-back singles by Abby Hay and Sidney Forrester past loaded nan bases, but Mardjetko dialed in, striking retired some Saniya Hill and Madison Uptegrove to extremity nan threat.
This was nan champion chance they’d get, my friends.
“We played tough. I deliberation we had immoderate opportunities, particularly pinch nan bases loaded successful nan first inning, we could person capitalized connected that,” Anderson said. “And you know, you don’t get galore chances pinch runners successful scoring position against a squad for illustration Tennessee, and we fto that gaffe distant from us.”
Slip away, indeed.
In nan second, Sophie Smith was deed by a transportation connected her mitt manus and past took 2nd connected a Kayley Lenger sac bunt. Smith was intelligibly successful a batch of pain, fundamentally keeled complete astatine 2nd successful betwixt pitches, and it was honestly difficult to watch. She’d enactment successful done nan extremity of nan 4th inning, by nan way, and erstwhile asked astir her position post-game, Anderson said she was intelligibly successful symptom but told her she was “fine” and was still waiting to perceive backmost from medical.
To decorativeness retired nan inning, Waits popped up to 2nd for nan 2nd retired and Carr followed pinch different K — she had a batch of those connected Friday. The wounded to Smith would travel backmost to wound Mizzou successful nan butt later on, truthful support it ready.
In nan bottommost of nan third, Hay reached connected a fielding correction by nan 3rd baseman— it went correct done her legs — but that would beryllium each nan discourtesy Missouri could muster arsenic Forrester and Hill recorded outs.
Marissa McCann was capable to support nan Lady Vols scoreless successful nan first 2 innings contempt allowing a brace of baserunners successful nan first connected a one-out locomotion to 1 Leach copy (Alannah) and a two-out azygous to nan different Leach copy (Gabby). In nan second, McCann allowed conscionable a one-out slapping azygous to Sophia Knight but different held Tennessee successful check.
It wasn’t until nan apical of nan 3rd that Ella Dodge went gait to heavy correct to necktie nan crippled 1-1 pinch a leadoff homer, but that would beryllium nan only tally allowed that inning.
In nan apical of nan fourth, nan Lady Vols utilized immoderate really fierce baserunning and erstwhile mixed pinch immoderate fielding mishaps — Mizzou came into this bid pinch nan SEC’s top-rated defense and will time off it assuredly NOT —, it allowed Tennessee to re-gain nan lead. A two-out correction connected nan propulsion by shortstop Madison Uptegrove was followed by a Saniya Hill throwing correction connected a azygous to near field. And past that damn Ella Dodge struck again, singling to left, allowing 2 runners to people and make it 3-1 and extremity McCann’s time astatine nan crockery for Courtney Donahue. McCann, now 10-10 connected nan season, allowed six hits and 3 runs (1 earned) successful 3 2/3 innings. She had nary strikeouts and allowed a walk.
“I felt we hit ourselves because of nan defense,” HCLA said post-game. “Errors are going to happen. Mistakes are going to happen. Balls are deed hard. It’s really we respond aft it, and past to person 3 much balls put successful play aft that, that’s wherever we sewage to beryllium stronger. So we wounded ourselves… I mean, we changeable ourselves successful nan ft and put ourselves successful nan hole, truthful we sewage to play amended down our pitching staff,”
When asked to elaborate connected what specifically went wrong, Anderson was decisive. “I consciousness for illustration they’re not anticipating nan shot to beryllium deed to them. When I called a timeout astatine 1 point, that’s precisely what I said… they were a measurement late, alternatively than expecting that each azygous shot is going to beryllium deed astatine them hard, they were startled astatine nan ball, and they person to beryllium much attentive to erstwhile nan shot is being deed and really it’s being hit.”
Donahue’s time continued successful nan 5th arsenic Leach (Gabby) singled to near and Clarke reached connected a fielder’s choice. After a Morrison locomotion and Knight foul out, her time was complete and successful came Carr. In 1 inning of work, she faced six batters and allowed 2 hits and a locomotion to spell pinch 1 earned run.
With Carr now pulling double work arsenic a hitter and successful nan circle, she allowed a Makenzie Butt azygous to shallow halfway which made it 4-1, and a locomotion to Ruttan loaded nan bases pinch Tiger slayer Ella Dodge up to bat. Luckily, she grounded retired to first and Carr escaped nan inning pinch minimal damage.
In nan bottommost of nan fourth, Madison Uptegrove singled to center, but a still intelligibly successful symptom Sophie Smith struck retired — it looked reallll bad — earlier Gracie Britton and Waits weakly grounded out, stranding Uptegrove astatine second.
In nan fifth, Abruscato reached pinch a leadoff double down nan correct section statement and was followed by an Abby Hay walk. Abruscato reached 3rd connected a chaotic transportation and past scored connected Sidney Forrester’s groundout to make it 4-2. Hill worked a afloat count earlier skying a precocious alert shot to halfway to strand nan runner astatine second.
“I thought down nan stretch, we continued to compete and springiness ourselves opportunities,” Anderson said aft nan game, “but trying to get aggregate hits successful a statement disconnected of caliber pitching that Tennessee has is beautiful tough, and we fto those opportunities gaffe away.”
Following a 1-2-3 inning by Abby Carr — nan only 1 of nan crippled for Tennessee — Marjetko’s time was done and successful came apt AUSL no. 1 pick, Karlyn Pickens, destroyer of souls and bats successful Game 1.
Surprisingly (to nan media, anyway), Anderson made nan funny determination to put Claire Cahalan successful for Uptegrove, who sewage connected guidelines nan past clip out. The Tigers were nary lucifer for Karlyn, of course, who swiftly disposed of nan Tigers connected 2 strikeouts and a lineout to third.
In nan seventh, Carr retook nan mound and while she allowed singles to Clarke and Knight, niehter would travel retired to people acknowledgment to immoderate really bully mitt activity and stretching by Abby Hay astatine first base, and nan Tigers sewage 1 much chance successful nan home-half. As mentioned up top, it didn’t spell well, and they went retired pinch a whimper.
As mentioned earlier, nan Tigers celebrated their seniors connected Saturday aft nan game’s conclusion, pinch 2 of nan players having stuck pinch Missouri passim their careers. Sokoloski is successful her 2nd play and came from Oklahoma State, and has already announced that she will beryllium utilizing her 5th twelvemonth of eligibility to play volleyball astatine Wright State. Courtney Donahue is simply a erstwhile JUCO All-American. That leaves Lenger and Harrison, who person been successful Columbia nan full time.
“I’m conscionable really proud of nan 4 seniors that we person and their loyalty, love, commitment, dedication to Mizzou, our program, and their teammates,” caput coach Larissa Anderson said postgame. “I’m really, really proud of who they are and really they correspond this program, and I cognize each 4 of them are going to beryllium very, very successful successful their careers aft they graduate. They’ve near a lasting bequest astir nan game.”
“We’ve gone to nan title crippled successful nan SEC twice. We’ve made immoderate heavy runs. We’ve played done this conference. We cognize really reliable it’s going to be. We sewage to attraction connected tomorrow. And you know, we want to travel out,” Anderson said.
She continued. “We’re playing really, really difficult correct now, but we person to play amended connected each 3 sides of nan game. We sewage to play amended defense. I cognize we’re going to get awesome pitching capacity retired of Cierra Harrison tomorrow. She’s nan starter, and we person everybody disposable erstwhile you’re connected Sundays… I cognize we’re going to get really, really heavy bullpen. We sewage to person immoderate timely hitting. So we’ve sewage to make judge that we attraction connected nan things that we tin control, and past wherever we’re seated successful nan SEC tournament, it’s triumph aliases spell home, and that’s what we’re up against.”
If you’re into history, you whitethorn callback that past play was nan first since 2006 that nan Tigers did not make nan NCAA Tournament. You’ll person to spell backmost moreover further — to nan 2001-02 play — to find nan past clip they missed nan tourney successful 2 consecutive years (they really missed 3 successful a statement backmost then).
I don’t cognize astir y’all, but I’m tired of “making history” for antagonistic reasons. How bout they conscionable get nan W connected Sunday and we’ll spot wherever nan chips fall?
