2 months ago
Looking to unafraid their first SEC expanse of nan season, nan Tigers handed nan shot to their respective crippled 1 Harrison-surnamed starters, CeCe and Ella, successful what shaped up to beryllium a genuinely crazy matter connected Sunday day connected The Plains. In a crippled that featured 4 lead changes and a who’s who of pitching rosters, nan Missouri Tigers yet came retired connected top, winning 6-4.
Let’s spot it really it each went down.
Auburn Strikes First, Ending Harrison’s Day Early
Unlike nan first 2 games of nan series, nan bluish & orangish Tigers struck first successful this one, taking a 1-0 lead successful nan location half that could person been a full batch worse.
An Alyssa Hastings one-out azygous was followed by a deed by transportation to put 2 connected for Annalea Adams, who reached connected a fielder’s choice. Shortstop Madison Uptegrove, trying to unafraid a double play, had a uncommon fielding correction that allowed Hastings to score, unearned.
How would CeCe respond to nan adversity? After allowing a four-pitch locomotion to Haven Roebuck to load nan bases, she dialed in, striking retired nan adjacent 2 Auburn players to flight nan jam.
In nan 2nd inning, Harrison struck retired Ratliff, her 3rd K successful a row, earlier a crisp play by Uptegrove, making up for her earlier miscue, sewage nan 2nd out. After a azygous that nan 2nd base(wo)man Smith couldn’t make a play on, Hastings flied retired to near for nan last out.
In nan third, aft a flyout to nan halfway section informing way and a consequent azygous to right, caput coach Larissa Anderson made nan alteration to Abby Carr for a spot of a different look. After inducing a flyout, Ma’Nia Womack singled done nan near broadside to put 2 connected for Kyla Stroud. After advancing nan runners connected a passed ball, she walked to load nan bases for freshman Ava Ratliff, whose two-run azygous to near allowed Auburn to re-gain nan lead, 3-2. A slow roller to 3rd ended nan threat.
Mizzou Offense Reemerges… Kind Of
Sidney Forrester coaxed a two-out azygous to correct successful nan apical of nan first, but a popout stopped immoderate benignant of momentum. In nan second, Sophie Smith worked a 9-pitch 1 retired locomotion earlier Uptegrove deed into a fielder’s prime that took nan lead runner retired astatine second. A strikeout ended nan threat again.
In nan third, aft a groundout, Addy Waits walked connected 4 consecutive pitches earlier Stefania Abruscato struck again pinch her 2nd homerun successful back-to-back days and sixth of nan season, giving nan achromatic & golden Tigers nan lead 2-1. A groundout and flyout ended nan Tiger threat.
In nan fourth, nan Malveauxs made a pitching alteration of their own, removing Harrison for statuesque freshman Charley Butler (7.18 ERA successful 12.2 IP)— she’s 6-foot, conscionable for illustration Carr. Carr, still successful nan crippled arsenic a two-way player, deed a bloop azygous to halfway earlier being replaced connected nan basepaths by Saniya Hill, who took 2nd connected Smith’s sac bunt. A fielding correction by nan pitcher allowed Kayley Lenger to scope first and Hill to return third, precocious nan runners to scoring position, but erstwhile faced pinch a aureate opportunity against a beautiful greenish pitcher, nan Tigers were incapable to produce, pinch Claire Cahalan striking retired looking to extremity nan Tigers’ champion chance to sheet immoderate much runs.
Auburn Offense Refuses to Go Quietly
In nan home-half of nan fourth, Auburn’s discourtesy continued to show signs of life pinch a leadoff azygous to near earlier a groundout precocious nan runner nan second. A weird determination by Uptegrove, going for a non-force retired astatine 3rd alternatively of grabbing nan surefire retired astatine first, resulted successful an offline propulsion which allowed runners astatine nan corners and yet different pitching change— Marissa McCann. McKaela Walker, aboard owed to nan aforementioned botched fielder’s choice, past stole second. What happened adjacent I’m a spot confused by, arsenic Auburn runners tagged up and scored to return a 4-2 lead connected a foul shot to near caught by a stealthy Cahalan. Should she person conscionable fto it driblet foul to forestall nan runners from tagging? I guess? An infield popup stopped nan bluish & orangish Tigers successful its tracks.
In nan apical of nan fifth, Auburn countered pinch yet different caller pitcher, Abby Herndon (5.75 ERA successful 34 IP), who allowed a deed by transportation to Waits earlier an Abruscato groundout allowed her to move to 2nd (and past 3rd connected a passed ball). After a strikeout for nan 2nd out, Abby Hay deed a bouncer up nan middle, bringing successful Waits to people and make it that overmuch closer, 4-3. Other Abby (Carr) past smacked her ninth location tally to center, allowing Missouri to regain nan lead, 5-4. This crippled was drunk, you guys.
When asked postgame astir nan trouble successful transitioning from hitter to pitcher past backmost to pitcher, Carr said, “I deliberation staying focused connected each task and my teammates having my backmost and supporting maine successful some my roles… I deliberation what’s really helpful, and I deliberation that’s why I’m truthful successful is because of them.”
Playing against nan shift, Smith was capable to limb retired a azygous erstwhile location was nary 1 near to screen nan bag, but Uptegrove grounded retired to extremity nan threat.
In nan bottommost of nan fifth, aft a groundout, Stroud singled done nan near broadside earlier a locomotion to Ratliff put 2 connected pinch 1 out, but nan adjacent 2 Auburn batters fouled out, leaving nan Good Tigers connected top.
Another Pitching Change? Why Not?
In lawsuit you were keeping way of pitching this game, we saw what fundamentally amounted to some teams’ full roster of pitching, and nan sixth was nary exception. Game 2 loser, SJ Geurin, was brought successful to look pinch hitter Nevaeh Watkins, who struck out, earlier Cahalan, pinch conscionable her 5th deed of nan season, tripled to right. Waits followed pinch a sharply deed azygous down nan statement successful correct field, easy allowing Cahalan to people and supply an security run, making it 6-4, earlier a groundout and statement retired ended it.
The Tigers wisely stuck pinch their pitching successful nan sixth and seventh, pinch McCann going 1-2-3 successful some innings to unafraid their first SEC bid expanse since 2024.
The announcers said pinch Carr postgame, who commended nan team’s chair depth. “Each personification is consenting to measurement up astatine immoderate moment,” she said. “I deliberation really shows nan grit this squad has.”
7 pitchers, 4 lead changes, 15 hits, 13 stranded. It was a time for nan large cats.
Auburn utilized 4 pitchers successful this one: Harrison (3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) | Butler (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) | Herndon (1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 K) | Geurin (1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K)
Mizzou utilized three: Harrison (2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R — 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) | Carr (1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB) | McCann (3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K)
UP NEXT: The Tigers return location to Columbia to look different group of Tigers, this clip of nan purple & golden variety, erstwhile they invited LSU (23-12, 4-8 SEC) for a Thursday-Saturday series. I will beryllium successful Lexington for NCAA Gymnastics Regionals, truthful my colleagues Dylan & True will beryllium manning nan recaps astatine Rock M Nation.
“I deliberation this was a immense occurrence coming out, winning 3 games and going backmost location to big LSU adjacent weekend, coming disconnected nan large win, and getting 1 astatine Alabama past play arsenic well. It helped america bring momentum into this weekend,” Carr said.
