After a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Mizzou softball had the series upset of No. 6 Alabama in the palm of its hands. But the team could not hold on, as the Tide overpowered them 4-3 to leave Columbia with the series win.
Abby Carr did everything in her power to push Mizzou over the hump with two home runs and three RBI against All-American pitcher Jocelyn Briski. Carr also homered against Briski on Friday, who has only allowed six homers this year. Yes, that’s right, Abby Carr has accounted for
50% of the All-American’s home runs ALL SEASON.
“She’s just a special athlete that I’m enjoying coaching,” coach Larissa Anderson said. “So unbelievably competitive and clutch.”
Carr also pitched in on the mound, preventing any more damage in the seventh with only one hit while striking out a pair. Rylee Michalak was another key piece out of the bullpen, pitching 1 1/3 innings before Carr with one hit allowed and one strikeout with no runs.
Marissa McCann started the game in the circle, playing well through the first couple innings before giving up three runs in the top of the fourth. The inning started on a line drive that came right back towards her face, but she got the glove up as it harmlessly ricocheted for an infield single. But McCann never looked the same, giving up a three-run homer and being credited with the loss.
“I thought she threw extremely well until that ball came back to her,” Anderson said. “That’s gonna rattle any pitcher, a ball coming back at your face. And I don’t think she recovered from that.”
Courtney Donahue was the final pitcher used, coming in relief for McCann. She pitched 1 inning and gave up what ended up as the losing run in a solo homer. All 12 runs the Tigers gave up over the weekend came on deep shots.
“They got to keep the ball off the heart of the plate,” Anderson said. “You have to concentrate on every single pitch. You can’t take a pitch off.”
Here’s how the game played out from start-to-finish:
Both offenses started slow, with no runners in scoring position through the first 1.5 innings. McCann allowed two singles in her first two innings, but did not let the runners advance with the help of her fielders.
The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the second on the back of the Abbys. Hay hit a leadoff single before Carr blasted a two-run homer to deep center field to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Mizzou threatened to add runs in the third after a pair of walks put a runner in scoring position with two outs. But the Tigers couldn’t capitalize after a strikeout to end the inning.
The Alabama offense started to roll in the fourth with three runs to take the lead. A single and a walk gave Ambrey Taylor the ammunition she needed to hit a three-run homer to left field, giving the Tide their first lead of the game. McCann forced a groundout before a walk necessitated Coach Anderson to pull her from the game. Courtney Donahue closed the inning allowing a single but no more runs. The Tiger offense went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, unable to get the offense rolling.
Alabama added an insurance run with a solo home run in the top of the fifth from Ana Roman. Donahue allowed a walk but snagged two more outs as her day came to a close. Rylee Michalak ended the inning with a lineout to first, keeping the deficit to two.
Addy Waits tried to get a rally going with a two-out single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Stefania Abruscato added another baserunner with a walk, bringing Forrester to the plate. The freshman loaded the count and hit the ball right towards the gap, but it was gobbled up by shortstop Salen Hawkins for a fielder’s choice to end the potential rally.
An Alabama single and a stolen base put Michalak in a jam with two outs against Brooke Wells, her old teammate at Houston. But Michalak, won the hard fought at-bat with a strikeout, chest-bumping her teammates on the way back to the dugout.
“She’s a Jersey girl. That’s the way Jersey girls are,” Anderson said. “She’s extremely competitive, very high energy. It’s contagious. Obviously, the fans feed off of it. I mean, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to play behind her.”
Carr cut the deficit in half with her second home run off the day, hitting off the glove of the left fielder and barely clearing the wall. But Briski bounced back with two-straight strikeouts, keeping Alabama’s one-run lead heading into the final frame.
Carr entered the game on the mound in the seventh, keeping the deficit at one with a groundout and a pair of strikeouts. She allowed a single with two outs but her final strikeout slammed the door on Alabama and gave the Tiger offense one last chance.
But the offense couldn’t break through Briski, with a pair of strikeouts before a deep flyout to come up just short in the rubber match.
The Tigers now fall to 15-18 on the season and 1-5 in SEC play. Four of those five losses have come by a single run.
“They’re so close,” Anderson said. “When you have young team … they have a tendency to just lose concentration every once in a while, and it’s my job to reel them back in and get them to stay focused.”
Mizzou will next travel to face an Auburn team that is also struggling at 2-4 in SEC play. But first they hit the road to Illinois for a midweek showdown against SIUE at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Currently there is no TV option listed for the game.
