Missouri Softball Knocks Off Duke, Forces Winner-Take-All on Sunday
With its back against the wall once again, Missouri softball lived to see another day once again.
The Tigers faced their fifth elimination game of the 2024 tournament on Saturday, and for the fifth time, they emerged victorious, this time by a score of 3-1.
Missouri was propelled by a three-run fourth inning that broke the ice for both teams. Both of Friday's starters (Jala Wright for Duke and Laurin Krings for Missouri) were back in the circle on Saturday, and both dominated early on. Through three innings, neither had allowed a single base runner.
Unfortunately for Wright, a similar story unfolded from the previous day's game. After allowing singles to Alex Honnold and Maddie Gallagher, Abby Hay roped one of her own into right field that easily scored Honnold from second. The throw from right fielder Claire Davidson bounced off of catcher Kelly Torres, allowing Gallagher to score as well and Hay to advance to third.
Hay's base hit knocked Wright out of the game, ending her second straight uncharacteristically poor outing. In her two Super appearances, Wright has allowed seven hits and five runs in just five innings pitched.
Cassidy Curd, who shut down Missouri in Friday's contest, relieved Wright. She allowed an RBI groundout to Julia Crenshaw, but Curd allowed just one hit the rest of the game.
Unfortunately for Curd, her offense couldn't pick her up. The only blemish on Laurin Krings' exceptional outing was a solo home run allowed in the fifth inning to Francesca Frelick, who hit a two-run blast the day prior. While Frelick's home run knocked Krings out of the game, Taylor Pannell shut down the Ble Devils over the final two innings.
Per usual, Pannell's off-speed was deadly, as she recorded both of her strikeouts (including the one that ended the game) with the pitch. She also recorded her 15th save of the season, which tied the NCAA Divison I single-season record.
The two teams will play a winner-take-all game tomorrow at an undetermined time.
QUENTIN CORPUEL
Quentin Corpuel is a sports journalist from Bethesda, Md. He is currently a sophomore journalism major at the University of Missouri with a reporting and writing emphasis. He is also pursuing a certificate in sports analytics. Along with FanNation, Corpuel also covers Mizzou athletics for Rock M Nation (Mizzou's SB Nation affiliate) and does freelance sports writing for KCOU 88.1 FM, the University of Missouri's student-run radio station.