Missouri Softball Dominated by Tennessee in Run-Rule Defeat
Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days aren't uncommon for many sports teams. Even the best of the best occasionally experience games where nothing seems to go right.
For the first time in 2024, No. 11/11 Missouri softball had one of those games.
For the entirety of Friday evening, the ball seemed repulsed by Missouri's all-black uniforms and enthralled by No. 8/9 Tennessee's burnt orange kits. The ball and UT's bats were attracted like magnets, while the connection between the ball and MU's bats felt as close as California and New York.
The Volunteers dominated the Tigers 9-0 in a five-inning, run-rule defeat. It was the first time Missouri had been run-ruled since last April.
The beatdown was on from the start, as the first inning was so fruitful for Tennessee, it paved the way for eliminating the sixth and seventh innings from even happening at all. On the second pitch of the game, Kiki Milloy ripped a double into center field, and the Volunteers didn't look back from there.
Friday also saw Missouri put together an uncharacteristically poor performance defensively. The next batter, Zaida Puni, hit a sharp ground ball that was snared by Kara Daly at third base. However, her throw to first base was wide right, and Puni reached base safely.
After Puni reached base safely, the avalanche continued. The next three batters all registered hits, and two runs scored. Not only that, the contact Tennessee was making was extremely strong.
Despite the early onslaught, Laurin Krings remained in the game. Unfortunately for Krings, the results didn't change.
With the bases loaded and one out, Krings had worked the count to 1-2 Giulia Koutsoyanopulos. Krings threw an outside heater that was launched as far over the center field wall as Giulia's last name. By the end of the first inning, the Volunteers had put up seven runs and batted around.
Krings, however, was far from the only Tiger that struggled. Tennessee starting pitcher Karlyn Pickens quieted Missouri's bats all evening, allowing just two hits in five innings of work.
With Missouri's bats unable to remedy the damage inflicted by the opposition, it was only a matter of time before Tennessee added onto its lead and pushed closer to the run-rule effect being put in place. That's exactly what happened, as the Vols continued jumping on Krings' pitches.
The bottom of the second featured more defensive miscues from Missouri. A bobbled ground ball by Daly and a wild pitch that scampered out of the grasp of Julia Crenshaw gave Tennessee two extra opportunities on the base paths. A few batters after the wild pitch, Taylor Pannell (yes, UT has a player that has the same unique name as Missouri's closer) singled hom a run to make it 8-0 Volunteers.
To put the icing on the orange-colored cake, Bella Faw, Tennessee's nine-hitter, launched a solo home run to make it 9-0 in the bottom of the third. After another scoreless half-inning by Missouri, Pickens closed the door in the bottom of the fifth to seal the run-rule win.
Krings allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs, the latter of which was a career-worst. Crenshaw and Daly were the only black jerseys to register hits.
The Tigers will look to get back on track tomorrow against UT. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
