COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the second consecutive game, Kara Daly delivered a walk-off home run as the University of Missouri softball team (33-23, 7-17 SEC) overcame multiple multi-run deficits to knock off Battle Line rival No. 12/12 Arkansas (38-16, 14-10 SEC), 7-6, in the Tigers’ regular season finale Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
After a wild back-and-forth affair that featured the Tigers coming back to tie the game on two separate occasions, the Jefferson City, Missouri, native, experienced some déjà vu in the bottom of the seventh, hitting a game-winning solo shot for the second time in as many days to give Mizzou its first SEC series victory of the season.
The Tigers fell into their first deficit early after the Razorbacks struck in the top of the first with a two-run home run from Cylie Halvorson.
Mizzou battled back to take a 3-2 lead after three innings on a sacrifice fly from Megan Moll followed by a two-run single from Maddie Gallagher.
However, the Tigers’ edge didn’t hold, as Atalyia Rijo flipped the script for Arkansas with a two-out grand slam to turn a one-run deficit into a three-run (6-3) Razorback lead.
Mizzou didn’t wait long to mount another rally, as Riley Frizell single-handedly brought the Tigers back to a tie contest. On the first pitch of the fourth inning, Frizell launched a solo shot to left field to cut the Arkansas advantage to 6-4.
Frizell came through in the clutch again as the Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth. The Willoughby, Ohio, product, drove in Honnold and Daly with a two-out, two-run single to even the contest at 6-6.
In another replication from Saturday evening’s contest, Taylor Pannell (2-0) entered the fray and left unscathed, inducing two flyouts that didn’t allow Kristina Foreman to come home. The freshman lefty also fielded her position to perfection, corralling an overthrow at the plate on the play to keep Foreman at bay.
Pannell tossed 1.2 perfect innings when Mizzou needed it the most, striking out a pair of Razorbacks to set the table for Daly’s second-straight clutch home run of the weekend.
After capturing their first SEC series win of the season, the Tigers will head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2023 SEC Tournament. No. 13-seed Missouri will face No. 12 Mississippi State Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m., CT in the tournament’s first round at Bogle Park. Tuesday’s action will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
GAME NOTES
- Dating back to 2021, Mizzou has now won back-to-back series against Arkansas.
- Missouri finished the regular season with a 15-8 record at home.
- The Tigers claimed back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since May 3-4, 2019, when Mizzou accomplished the feat in consecutive games against South Carolina.
- Kara Daly slugged her 10th home run of 2023 with her walk-off blast, joining Alex Honnold as the only Tigers to reach double figures in home runs this season.
- The Tigers continued their perfect record while outhitting their opponents this season, extending their unblemished run to 25-0.
- For the second consecutive game, Mizzou picked up a victory after being tied after six innings.
- By plating seven runs, the Tigers’ record while scoring at least six runs this season improved to 24-1.
- With her go-ahead, two-run single in the third inning, Maddie Gallagher recorded her third multi-RBI contest of 2023. She finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk.
- Riley Frizell’s home run in the fifth inning marked her fifth of the campaign.
- As a result of her three-RBI performance, Riley Frizell secured her sixth multi-RBI game of the year.
- Additionally, Riley Frizell notched two hits for her seventh multi-hit outing.
- Riley Frizell’s RBI total for 2023 now sits at 22, as she joins Alex Honnold, Julia Crenshaw, Kara Daly, and Jenna Laird as the fifth Tiger to drive in at least 20 runs this season.
- Jenna Laird, Alex Honnold, and Maddie Snider each added a hit in Sunday’s win.
- Closer Taylor Pannell picked up her second career Sunday, pitching 1.2 innings of shutout softball with two strikeouts. She finished the weekend with 2.0 unblemished innings against Arkansas.
- Mizzou won its first SEC series of 2023.
LOOKING AHEAD
Missouri will begin postseason play Tuesday in the 2023 SEC Softball Tournament at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The No. 13-seed Tigers will face No. 12 Mississippi State Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m., CT in the tournament’s first round. Tuesday’s action will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
Single-game and limited season tickets are currently on sale. Tickets can be purchased online, in-person at the Mizzou ticket office, or by calling 1 (800) CAT-PAWS.
