BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Missouri softball program (23-16, 3-10 SEC) utilized a three-run sixth to complete an 8-6 comeback victory over No. 12/11 LSU (31-7, 4-6 SEC) Thursday afternoon at Tiger Park.
Trailing 5-1, Missouri evened the contest at 5-5 with a four-run fifth. The Tigers then notched a three-run sixth to capture the series-opening win.
Alex Honnold and Chantice Phillips each registered a pair of hits while Maddie Gallagher pitched in a season-high (Missouri career-best) three RBI outing.
Facing a four-run deficit, Mizzou knotted the game in the fifth.
Kara Daly scored Jenna Laird on a fielder’s choice before Alex Honnold tagged home on a passed ball. Laird came aboard on an infield hit and Honnold drilled a double to right.
Gallagher then laced a two-run single through the left side to tie the game at 5-5.
LSU retook the lead (6-5), its final lead of the day, with a RBI infield single from Taylor Pleasants before a three-run MU sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Laird reached first on a LSU error before scoring on a Julia Crenshaw base hit to right field to retie the game at 6-6.
Daly then added a RBI single to left and Crenshaw stole home on a Tigers double steal to push the advantage to 8-6.
Mizzou last stole home on March 8 against Kansas City (Jenna Laird).
LSU took an early 2-0 lead Thursday after consecutive bases loaded walks in the second.
Missouri cut the deficit to 2-1 on a fielder’s choice in the fourth. Katie Chester earned a leadoff walk before being lifted for pinch runner Kayley Lenger. Lenger moved up to second on a wild pitch before taking third on a base hit from Chantice Phillips.
Maddie Gallagher then connected on a RBI fielder’s choice to second to score Lenger and make the LSU lead one.
Mizzou used four pitchers in the winning effort. Jordan Weber allowed three runs on three hits in the start (3.1 innings) before being relieved for Megan Schumacher, Emma Nichols, and Taylor Pannell.
Schumacher made her 15th appearance of the season, working an inning (three runs on three hits).
Nichols picked up the win, her first of the season (11th career). She pitched a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit in her fourth appearance in 2023.
Pannell grabbed the save, scattering a hit. She leads the SEC with five saves this season (seventh in the NCAA).
NOTES
- Alex Honnold (2-for-2, three walks, two runs and a double) and Chantice Phillips (2-for-3, run, walk, and two stolen bases) led the Tigers with two hits each.
- For Alex Honnold, it was her 12th multi-hit game of the season. Chantice Phillips now has four multi-hit games in 2023. The duo have posted hits in each of the last two Tiger games.
- Chantice Phillips has now posted a hit in 15 of the last 20 games. She has posted five hits over the past two SEC games.
- Chantice Phillips and Payton Jackson both stole a career-high two bases each, respectively.
- Maddie Gallagher registered a season-high and Mizzou career-best three RBI to go with a walk. It marked her second multi-RBI game of the season.
- Kara Daly notched a pair of RBI with a run. She now leads the team with eight multi-RBI games in 2023.
- Jenna Laird, Julia Crenshaw, Kara Daly, Payton Jackson, and Maddie Gallagher each had a hit in the win.
- Julia Crenshaw and Maddie Gallagher extended their hitting streaks to three games.
- Kara Daly, Payton Jackson, and Jenna Laird have each posted hits in each of the last two Mizzou contests.
- Mizzou stole seven bases including home Thursday.
- Emma Nichols notched her first win of the season (11th in her career at Missouri). She pitched a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit in her fourth appearance in 2023.
- Freshman Taylor Pannell grabbed the save, allowing just one hit in the seventh. She leads the SEC with five saves this season (seventh in the NCAA).
- Thursday was Taylor Pannell’s first career SEC save.
- Megan Schumacher made her 15th appearance of the season, working an inning (three runs on three hits).
- Missouri picked up its second-straight SEC win (third in 2023).
- Thursday marked Missouri’s third win over an SEC top-25 opponent. Overall, the Tigers have five ranked wins in 2023.
