Laird, McCann Lift Missouri Softball to SEC Tournament Semifinals

MU will play LSU later today.

Missouri Athletics

Despite lightning playing spoiler to No. 5 seed Missouri softball's game against No. 4 Arkansas on Thursday, the Tigers picked up right where they left off on Friday.

Behind strategic base running and a masterful relief performance by Marissa McCann, the Tigers knocked off the Razorbacks 3-1, advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the third time in four seasons.

By rule, if a softball game is suspended and resumed at a later date, the game must restart in the exact situation it was left off in. That proved advantageous for Missouri, who had runners on the corners with no outs in the top of the fifth when play stopped on Thursday.

With one out Abby Hay stepped up to the plate, and she whiffed big to make the count 1-2; however, her teammates on the base paths were up to planned mischief. The runner on first, Alex Honnold, ran halfway to second, which caused a throw from Arkansas catcher Kennedy Miller across the diamond. That allowed the runner at third, Jenna Laird, to bolt home without a throw from. Although Honnold was caught in a rundown, Honnold stopping nonchalantly made it seem like that was the plan all along.

However, similarly to the weather in Auburn, Al., the game wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Missouri, as they were faced with peril in the bottom of the sixth. After Cierra Harrison had dominated Arkansas over the first five innings of action, she gave up a single, then hit Bri Ellis with a pitch. Harrison was relieved for Marissa McCann, who became stuck in a bases-loaded jam after a line drive by Cylie Halvorson deflected off the glove of Laird.

Facing a Herculean task, McCann went to work. The first batter amidst the jam was Hannah Gammill, who hit a home run the night prior. McCann worked an 0-2 count before she threw Gammill off-balance with an off-speed pitch, forcing an infield fly for the first out of the inning.

The second batter was Miller, and the two star freshman went back-and-forth. The entire at-bat lasted 11 pitches, with Miller coming inches away from a grand slam on a tenth pitch. However, like her teammate that she succeeded in the lineup, Miller was fooled by an off-speed pitch, this time for a strikeout.

Now, the only person standing in the way of an inning unscathed was Rylin Hedgecock, who hit a home run against Missouri in the regular season. Unlike Miller, Hedgecock wasn't at the plate for very long; but like Miller, she went down swinging, this time on a fastball.

"I couldn't let my team down," McCann said after the game.

Although Missouri couldn't pad the lead in the top of the seventh, Taylor Pannell retired the Razorbacks in order to advance the Tigers to the SEC Tournament semifinals.

The full game saw Missouri put together a balanced offensive effort, as eight of MU's nine starting batters registered a hit, with Laird being the only one picking up two.

Missouri will battle No. 8 LSU at 4 p.m. CST. The winner of that game will advance to the SECT championship against the victor of No. 7 Georgia/No. 2 Florida and No. 11 South Carolina/No. 3 Texas A&M.