COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri softball dropped its doubleheader to top-ranked Texas A&M Thursday at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
Mizzou fell in the series opener, 7-5, before being outlasted in nine innings in game two, 4-3.
MU moves to 22-26 this season and is now 3-14 in league competitions.
Madison Walker came in clutch over the Thursday doubleheader, pulling Mizzou ahead with a grand slam in the opener before tying game two with a two-run single to force extra innings.
Thursday’s doubleheader marked Mizzou’s third time facing the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
No. 1 Texas A&M 7, Mizzou 5
Trailing 4-1 through five innings, the Tigers utilized a grand slam from Walker to pull ahead 5-4.
The home run marked the 16th of the season for Walker, a sophomore third baseman from Olathe, Kansas. She now ranks tied for eighth in Mizzou program history for single-season homers.
Walker blasted her third grand slam of the season (third in her career) to provide MU the advantage before Texas A&M secured the game one win with a trio of runs in the seventh.
Walker went 1-for-3 with four RBI over the opener Thursday.
Cierra Harrison started for Mizzou and allowed three earned runs on four hits with a strikeout over 1.2 innings.
Marissa McCann was handed the loss (8-10 in 2025), allowing four earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings of relief work.
She was relieved by Courtney Donahue (0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H) in the top of the seventh.
Texas A&M jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a three-run home run from Mac Barbara.
Stefania Abruscato got the Tigers on the board in the second with an RBI single before the Aggies regrew their edge to three (4-1) in the fifth.
Texas A&M utilized a pair of RBI doubles to distance itself from MU in the seventh (7-5).
Julia Crenshaw and Kayley Lenger both added hits for Mizzou in the opener.
No. 1 Texas A&M 4, Mizzou 3 — 9 Innings
Mizzou scored three runs over the sixth and seventh innings to even game two with Texas A&M and force extra innings.
Abruscato sparked some offensive momentum for the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth, smacking a double to left center. It marked her team-leading 14th double of the season.
She has reached base in seven straight games (three-game hitting streak).
Abby Hay followed with an RBI double to right center to cut the Aggies lead to 3-1.
She paced MU, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, a double and a walk. It marked her fifth multi-hit game of the season and her third-straight game reaching base.
The Tigers continued their comeback in the seventh. Down to their final out, Walker connected on a two-run single to even the contest.
She now has a team-high 11 multi-RBI games in 2025.
The Aggies then secured the doubleheader sweep with a solo home run from Amari Harper in the ninth.
Taylor Pannell pitched a career-best 8.1 innings in the circle over her fifth career start. She allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and five walks in the loss (5-6).
McCann registered a strikeout over 0.2 innings to wrap the contest.
Lenger added a hit to go with two hit by pitches. She has hit safely in each of the last three games.
Taylor Ebbs is currently on a five-game reached base streak after consecutive two-walk games over the Thursday doubleheader.
NEXT UP
- Missouri next wraps its three-game SEC series with No. 1 Texas A&M Friday at noon, CT.
- Single-game tickets have been updated to reflect the new Friday start time. If you had single game tickets for Friday’s game and can no longer make the updated game, please call 1-800-CAT-PAWS between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday to exchange the tickets for another game this season.
- The Tigers then head to Tuscaloosa next weekend, April 27-25, for an SEC series against Alabama on the road.
- The Tigers then return home May 1-3 to take on Georgia for another SEC series at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (X, Instagram, Facebook).
- Diamond Club is accepting new members. Email MAF@missouri.edu or call 573-882-0704 to join.
- Join us in Expanding the Tradition of excellence in Mizzou Softball! This special initiative focuses on building a Rock M at the Mizzou Softball Stadium, a centerpiece of Tiger pride. The Rock M debuted this season at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
