COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite grabbing the early lead in each game, No. 19 Mizzou Softball was swept by No. 17/15 LSU in Sunday’s games by scores of 4-2 and 12-5.
GAME ONE
The Mizzou Tigers were looking to take the series after winning the Friday night game by a score of 9-1 in five innings. The bats got off to an early start with Brooke Wilmes leading off the game with a double off the right field wall. After moving over to third on a wild pitch, Hatti Moore ripped a single up the middle to put the home Tigers up early.
LSU was able to get that run back quickly. The visitors led off the top of the second inning with a solo blast to left field, tying the ballgame at one run apiece.
The third inning proved to be costly for Mizzou. After retiring the first batter, the second reached on an error, moving to second. After a wild pitch, what would have been a routine popup turned into a double due to the infield positioning for a speedy slap hitter. The ball landed just in front of a Mizzou glove, but the runner on third was unable to advance. A single up the middle allowed the first run of the inning to score, giving LSU the lead. The next batter grounded a ball to the left side and the throw home did not get the runner on third, putting the score at 3-1 for LSU. A sacrifice fly to right field put one more on the board for LSU.
Missouri was able to get one run back on a Kimberly Wert solo homer. Wert led off the bottom of the fourth with a line drive over the center field wall for her 12th of the season, putting the score at 4-2.
TURNING POINT
Laurin Krings was able to keep LSU from scoring after entering in the top of the fifth inning. The Mizzou bats had yet to come alive.
The home Tigers were able to put some pressure on LSU in the bottom of the sixth. Three walks loaded the bases with two outs in the inning. However, Missouri was unable to come up with a timely hit to put any runs on the board.
Mizzou was able to get the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but the game ended on a lineout to left field.
TOP TIGERS
Laurin Krings put up three scoreless innings for Mizzou with four strikeouts. The freshman allowed only one hit and one walk, keeping the home Tigers in the ballgame.
NOTES
Kimberly Wert smacked her 34th Mizzou home run and the 39th of her collegiate career. She collected her 100th Mizzou RBI on the solo home run.
Hatti Moore also collected her 100th RBI on her single in the first inning.
Brooke Wilmes ripped the 50th double of her career in the first inning.
GAME TWO
Mizzou jumped all over LSU early in the second game of the day, but they were unable to hold of the LSU comeback.
LSU scored one in the top of the first inning on a Mizzou error, but a second runner was thrown out at the plate attempting to score.
After Brooke Wilmes led off with a single and Jenna Laird reached on an error, Hatti Moore ripped a single up the middle to tie the game at one. Kimberly Wert knocked a flare into shallow right that was caught by the LSU second baseman, but Jenna Laird was able to tag from third and score. Another error by LSU and a walk loaded the bases and Riley Frizell ripped a single into center to score another run for Mizzou. Leading 3-1, Kendyll Bailey ripped a double to right-center, scoring two more runs and giving Missouri a four-run advantage.
LSU got one run back in the top of the second on an RBI single to left field, but they struck a big blow in the fourth inning. With two outs and two runners on, a single to right field brought around two runs to cut the Mizzou margin to one run.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wilmes was able to reach third, but she was stranded there.
TURNING POINT
Another two-out rally proved costly for Mizzou in the top of the fifth inning. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, LSU was able to get a few well-placed hits to put some runners on board. A bloop single into left scored two runs and another seeing-eye single scored a third run. LSU took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
LSU added another run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run. Missouri had an opportunity to tighten the score when Brooke Wilmes ripped a double into the right-center gap and Jenna Laird single to put runners on the corners with two outs. The runners were stranded on the basepaths.
The visiting Tigers broke open the contest in the seventh, preventing any thought of a Mizzou comeback. Two runs scored on a wild pitch and two more were added on a pair of solo home runs. LSU put four runs on the board to take a 12-7 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
TOP TIGERS
Brooke Wilmes went 2-for-4 at the plate in the finale with a double, a stolen base, and a run.
Riley Frizell was 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
NOTES
Brooke Wilmes became the 14th Mizzou player to reach 200 career hits with her double in the sixth inning.
On the same double, Wilmes moved into a tie for third in Mizzou history with 51 career doubles. It was her 15th of the season, moving into a tie for the eighth-best single season doubles total in Mizzou history.
18 hits are the most Mizzou has allowed in a single game in program history.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will take on Kansas in a midweek matchup on Tuesday at 4 pm CT on SECN+.
