Wednesday night at Mizzou Softball Stadium was one for the record books and one that would boggle the mind. It was a… we’ll call it “unique and exciting” experience to watch in person. It was the thirteenth perfect game in Mizzou history and the first since 2022. It also, per SID Trent Spinner, was the first time since 2013 (against Ole Miss) that the team threw two no hitters against the same opponent, and the first time since 1991 (against SLU) that a Missouri team had both a no-hitter and a perfect game against an opponent in the same season.
And to think this game wasn’t even supposed to happen! In case you didn’t know, this game was a last-minute sort of Hail Mary addition to the schedule — it was announced on Monday — to try and help the Tigers race towards .500 and postseason eligibility. Had SIUE not agreed to this matchup, McCann would have had to wait for another game [or potentially, forever] to etch herself into Mizzou history. So, basically, what we should all be saying is, “Thank you for your service, Southern Illinois.”
Now, we’ve established already that perfect games are not a common occurrence in these parts. And Wednesday’s result was seemingly even more rare. Mizzou’s last perfect game was on March 6, 2022 at home against Bradley when Laurin Krings and the Tigers won 8-0 in a shortened six-inning affair. The one before that? Per my research, it was a 9-0 victory courtesy of Mizzou Athletics Hall of Famer Chelsea Thomas on March 3, 2012 against SEMO in Kansas City. That too was a run-rule game, going just five innings. So when was the last full-length perfect game? Friends, I do not know and I don’t have time to wade through the history books.
“A perfect game in seven innings is a little bit different than a perfect game that’s ended early, so I’m really happy that she was able to complete the whole game,” Missouri head coach Larissa Anderson said post-game.
Knowing this information makes what McCann did on Wednesday evening that much cooler.
“It almost made me want to tear up seeing the way my teammates ran out of the dugout and were so excited for me,” McCann said, describing what it felt like at the game’s conclusion. “I think that shows a lot about the closeness of this team and the way the coaches embraced me after, it means a lot to me.”
Back to the historical context of this game. I also have to wonder if there was some sort of record the team hit for the number of baserunners that were thrown out in a single game, but that sort of thing is not something you want recorded, apparently. More on that later, I promise.
M3: Magnificent Marissa McCann
First thing’s first, we must discuss the performance of Marissa McCann in more detail. Two games ago against South Carolina, the junior threw her first SEC shutout. A day later, chaos ensued and she lasted just 0.2 innings in relief and gave up back-to-back home runs. On Wednesday night, she clearly was back to being lights out. It was the equivalent of experiencing whiplash: pitching edition.
When asked how she was able to get back in the frame of mind necessary to throw this masterpiece after Sunday’s mistake, Anderson said, “We talk about that all year long… your results on the previous day don’t carry over to the next day. Athletes have to have amnesia. So it really is learning from those moments and learning from that experience.”
Amnesia, indeed. You never would have known that other game happened given what we saw on Wednesday. And after seeing her teammate Cierra Harrison get a no-no earlier this season, McCann was amped up to get one of her own, per Anderson.
“She been wanting a no-hitter all year long,” she said. “We’ve talked about it and I’m like, you don’t go out trying to throw a no-hitter. It happens because of an individual’s effort and concentration on individual pitches, and that’s exactly what she did today. She didn’t try to do too much. She owned every single pitch she threw. She commanded it. She threw it with conviction.”
I, for one, was surprised she got the nod to start this game in the first place, as the aforementioned Cierra Harrison’s no-no against this very team earlier this season. Alas, McCann was handed the ball and wow, did she deliver, amassing 11 strikeouts on the day, one shy of her career high. No hits, no walks, not a baserunner to be had. The defense behind her was marvelous, including a fantastic play by Saniyah Hill, who got her first career start at second base.
“Absolutely everything was working, just as usual” catcher Stefania Abruscato said. “She was very good, from going from one side of the plate to the other, having a drop ball in on the hitter, and then coming low and getting a strikeout. Getting a lot of strikeouts.”
By the game’s end, McCann had accumulated 11 strikeouts — just one off her career high — including one in the first, three in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the sixth, and two more in the seventh.
“Early on in the game, the rise ball wasn’t rising, and it was pretty flat,” Anderson said. “I mean, she was throwing very hard, and she was throwing 68 consistently, and she just needed a little bit more spin. And the only thing I did tell her at one point is that her shoulders were very flat and they were parallel, and she had to reach back a little bit more to get underneath her rise ball.”
“You don’t talk to anybody when they’re throwing something like this.”
Offensive Onslaught & Missed Opportunities
Things got off to a… curious start for the home team, as the Tigers had the potential to have a big inning right off the bat, but some baserunning blunders kept them from getting more than a single run in the first. Leadoff batter Ady Waits reached on a leadoff walk — her first of three walks on the day — and Stefania Abruscato followed that up with a double to left center. Unfortunately, Waits didn’t wait (ha) for a clear break to get home and was thrown out awkwardly at the plate. That wasn’t the first out at home in this game, but Anderson did put that one squarely on her shoulders.
“I’m going to take full ownership on that,” she said. “I wasn’t in a good position down the line. She got on me faster than I anticipated, but I wasn’t in a good position to hold her, and I probably should have, obviously… That was a bad mistake by me.”
An Abby Carr blooper to center came down for a single and she advanced to second on the throw home. Elder Abby (Hay) followed with a single to center of her own, which scored Abruscato and gave the Tigers the early 1-0 lead. The throw allowed her to advance to second, and when Sidney Forrester hit into a fielder’s choice, Carr took off for home and was unceremoniously thrown out at the plate. [Thrown out on basepaths tally: 2]
The Déjà vu continued in the second inning, around the press box we all just kind of looked around and wondered what exactly the Tigers were doing. Saniya Hill worked a one-out single to left center — GREAT! — but then was thrown out taking an extra base — NOT GREAT. Kayley Lenger followed with a two out single to the left before Waits grounded out to short for a fielder’s choice. Another missed opportunity. [Thrown out on basepaths tally: 3]
The Tigers’ hitting barrage continued into the third inning, though again they only got one run to show for it. Abruscato led off with a shot to deep center to make it 2-0, and Carr followed that up with a walk. Hay hit into a double play, however, and though Forrester managed a double to right center, Madison Uptegrove grounded out to second base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Claire Cahalan reached on a fielding error at short, and advanced to second as Hill singled up the middle. However, Mizzou’s baserunning blunders continued, as Cahalan was inexplicably called out trying to steal third. It wasn’t close, y’all.
Hill advanced to third as Kayley Lenger grounded out, and Waits followed with a walk, leading to an SIUE pitching change. With Kiana Villa now in the circle, Abruscato walked to load the bases, but Carr lined out to short and the Tigers stranded three (7 total). [Thrown out on basepaths tally:4]
In the top of the fifth, the offensive spark continued, as the Tigers plated two more runs to make it 4-0. Hay led off with a single to short and was subbed out on the basepaths by Linny Ramsey. After back-to-back fly ball outs, Ramsey advanced to second on a passed ball before coming around to score on a throwing error that allowed Cahalan to advance to second. Hill then singled, allowing Cahalan to score, before… stop me if you’ve heard this before…getting thrown out at second base on a botched steal. [Thrown out on basepaths tally:5]
It was around this time I received a text from my dad, Mizzou Athletics superfan Jim Steger, who wrote, “Very strange game. So many out on the bases. Aggressive base running is one thing but come on.”
I agree, Dad. I AGREE.
“I think they were just being a little too aggressive,” Abby Hay said when asked about the approach. “But we’d rather have them be too aggressive than not take a risk. And that’s one of the coach’s big philosophies— always take a risk. And I think our baserunners were taking that risk even though we weren’t successful. One bad throw and those baserunning mistakes would have been successful.”
Anderson was asked a similar question and stood behind it. “I mean, we don’t get an opportunity to be able to run as often against some of our SEC competition, so it was kind of testing the limits a little bit. You know, let’s do some things in game speed that we don’t normally get to do, to learn from them, to be able to take advantage of what opportunities that we have later on.”
In the sixth, the Tigers tacked on their final runs, as Waits walked again and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Abruscato grounded out but it allowed Waits to take third and then score on Carr’s single to the right side of the infield to make it 5-0. Hay then cranked a two-run shot to deep center to make it 7-0.
Next Up:
The Tigers head to Fayetteville this weekend to take on no. 6/9 Arkansas (37-8, 11-7 SEC) who is no. 1 in RPI. The Razorbacks are batting an absolutely terrifying .357 as a team and have launched a whopping 67 homeruns this season, along with 80 doubles. Get past their hitters? Not so fast. The pitching staff is equally as nightmare-inducing, with a 2.63 staff ERA and two pitchers throwing 2.03 and 2.08, respectively. By contrast, Mizzou is hitting .273 with 61 doubles and 46 home runs, and the staff ERA is 3.44, with just Abby Carr throwing sub-3.00 (a 2.42).
“We don’t know when it’s going to end, but it’s going to end at some point,” Anderson said. “And the message is, continue to play hard for each other, because you never know when you’re never going to be able to play together anymore and play for our seniors. We have four really, really dynamic, passionate, committed, loyal seniors, so every game now we’re playing for them so they can play one more game. And that’s really been the message on just treasuring the moments that you guys have together. Have fun when they when you’re out there, enjoy each other because you don’t know when it’s going to be over.”
