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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 11/11 University of Missouri softball team (22-5, 2-3 SEC) dropped their Saturday matinee against No. 8/9 Tennessee (21-4, 2-0 SEC), 8-2, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Maddie Gallagher set the tone for the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and two RBI. Alex Honnold showcased her plate discipline in the match, recording a trio of walks.
The Tigers would threaten in the top of first, after a Honnold walk and a Julia Crenshaw HBP put two on with one out, before the Lady Vols extinguished the early rally.
Tennessee then brought one across in the bottom half of the frame, but Honnold would flash the leather in deep center field, making a catch against the wall to prevent more UT runs, and keep the deficit to 1-0.
The home squad then tacked on another in the bottom of the second, as Lady Vol shortstop Bella Faw would hit a solo shot, giving them a 2-0 advantage.
Cierra Harrison would pitch her way out of a jam in the third, coaxing a pop out from UT designated player Destiny Rodriguez to escape the inning with runners on first and third.
In the top of the fourth, Maddie Gallagher would put the Tigers on the board with a solo shot of her own, cutting the deficit in half. Gallagher’s first career SEC home run pulled MU within one, down 2-1.
UT then broke open the game in the bottom of the fourth, using a two-out grand slam from Taylor Pannell to give the home squad a 6-1 advantage.
The Lady Vols scratched across two more in the bottom of the sixth, using a single from McKenna Gibson to plate a pair and pull ahead 8-1 in the contest.
Mizzou put up a fight in the seventh, getting a pair on with one out, before Maddie Gallagher recorded her second RBI of the day, a two-out double that plated Jenna Laird.
The Tigers worked to close the gap, but couldn’t find the momentum, and dropped the game 8-2.
NOTES
- Maddie Gallagher finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and two RBI.
- Maddie Gallagher‘s fourth-inning blast was her first career home run in SEC play. The home run was also her career-best second of the season (four career home runs).
- For Maddie Gallagher, it marked her fourth multi-hit game of the season and fifth multi-RBI game (second on team in 2024).
- Stefania Abruscato’s sixth inning pinch-hit double was her first career hit in SEC play. It also marked her second career double.
- Kara Daly extended her reached base streak to four games with a walk.
- Julia Crenshaw has now reached base in each of the last three games after two walks and an HBP on Saturday.
- Jenna Laird posted a run after an HBP.
- Starter Cierra Harrison posted a final line of 3.2 innings with five earned runs on three hits, and two strikeouts in the loss.
- Lilly Whitten allowed just one earned run on two hits over two innings of work out of the pen. She also notched three strikeouts.
- Lilly Whitten logged her fourth career appearance in the circle and her first in conference play. It marked her second-longest relief appearance.
- Nathalie Touchet made her second appearance of the road SEC series, following up her 1.2-inning, zero-hit outing on Friday. Saturday, Touchet coaxed a flyout over a third of an inning of work.
- Junior outfielder Mya Dodge made her first career SEC start, earning the nod in left field.
- The Tigers logged a baserunner in every inning except for the second and had multiple base runners in five innings.
- Tennessee secured the SEC series after grabbing the first two games Friday and Saturday.
- Missouri drops to 8-14 all-time against Tennessee. Head Coach Larissa Anderson moves to 4-7 against the Vols.
UP NEXT
- The Tigers will finish their series against No. 8/9 Tennessee on Sunday, with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m., CT. The game can be viewed 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).
