No. 14/15 Softball Downs Drake, 6-3, Wednesday

DES MOINES, Iowa – The No. 14/15 University of Missouri softball team (31-10, 5-7 SEC) picked up a 6-3 midweek victory over Drake (16-17) Wednesday afternoon at Buel Field.

With the win, head coach Larissa Anderson secured her 200th career win at the helm of the Mizzou program. Currently in her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson has registered a career record of 330-180-1.

Mizzou took an early 1-0 lead Wednesday on a fielder’s choice from Alex Honnold in the top of the second. 

The Tigers then extended their advantage to 4-0 with a three-run fourth. Freshman catcher Stefania Abruscato connected on her second home run of the season, a solo shot to right. 

Following a Kayley Lenger walk, Honnold knocked an RBI single through the right side. Maddie Gallagher then doubled home Honnold to increase the edge to 4-0. 

Drake cut into the Tigers lead with an RBI single from MaKayla Rice. Tigers starter Cierra Harrison was then relieved by Lilly Whitten who ended the threat with a pop out. 

Missouri then added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh off the bat of Abruscato. The freshman from Smithtown, New York, compiled two more RBI with a bases-loaded single to left center to widen the gap to 6-1. 

Rice added a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Mizzou lead in half (6-3) before closer Taylor Pannell closed the door with three-straight outs after coming on in the bottom of the sixth. 

Harrison improved to 11-2 in 2024, surrendering just one run on four hits over 4.2 innings. The sophomore notched five strikeouts and has now tallied three or more punch outs in each of her last four appearances. 

Whitten allowed just one hit and one walk over one relief inning of work. 

Pannell picked up her seventh save of the campaign. She paces the SEC and is now tied for first in the NCAA. Pannell pitching the final 1.1 innings (two runs on two hits) with a strikeout. 

GAME NOTES

• Stefania Abruscato led Mizzou Wednesday, going a career-best 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to go with two runs. 
• Stefania Abruscato launched her second career home run in the top of the fourth. 
• Stefania Abruscato notched her second career multi-RBI game and second caree multi-hit game in her 15th start of the season. 
• Alex Honnold chipped in a 2-for-4 outing in her home state of Iowa. She also posted a run and an RBI. 
• Alex Honnold belted her SEC-leading 17th double of the campaign. She now has 46 in her career at Mizzou which ranks seventh in program history. 
• Alex Honnold is now tied for third in Mizzou program history with Brooke Wilmes (2019) for doubles in a single season. She is now three doubles away from becoming the all-time single season leader at Missouri. 
• Jenna Laird (1-for-3), Maddie Gallagher (1-for-3), and Abby Hay (1-for-2, two walks) each added a hit Wednesday. 
• Maddie Gallagher notched her career best 10th double in 2024 to go with a run, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
• Jenna Laird extended her reached base streak to 15 games (seven-game hitting streak).
• Kayley Lenger picked up a pair of walks and now has a reached base streak of nine games. 
• Abby Hay is currently on an eight-game reached base streak. 
• Maddie Gallagher and Alex Honnold have each notched hits in each of the last three contests. 
• Freshman Abby Hay logged her sixth start in a row and her eighth of the season.
• Cierra Harrison improved to 11-2 in 2024, surrendering just one run on four hits over 4.2 innings in the start. The sophomore notched five strikeouts and has now tallied three or more punch outs in each of her last four appearances.
• Lilly Whitten allowed just one hit and one walk over one relief inning of work.
• Taylor Pannell picked up her seventh save of the campaign. She paces the SEC and is now tied for first in the NCAA. 
• Taylor Pannell pitched the final 1.1 innings (two runs on two hits) Wednesday with a strikeout. 
• With the win, head coach Larissa Anderson secured her 200th career win at the helm of the Mizzou program. Currently in her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson has registered a career record of 330-180-1.
• Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Drake, 28-4.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson is 4-0 against the Bulldogs in her career.
• Alex Honnold and Mya Dodge both played in their home state of Iowa Wednesday. Honnold is a native of West Des Moines, while Dodge hails from Hiawatha. Dodge transferred to Mizzou after two standout seasons with Northern Iowa. 
• Assistant coach Molly Jacobsen McCargar, an Adel, Iowa, native, coached in her home state Wednesday. Jacobsen McCargar started her softball collegiate playing career at Des Moines Area Community College before playing at Ole Miss and Texas. 

LOOKING AHEAD  

• Mizzou next returns home for an SEC weekend series with No. 9 Florida (34-6, 9-3 SEC) Friday through Sunday.
• Friday (5 p.m., CT) and Sunday’s (2 p.m., CT) games will be on SEC Network+ while Saturday (12:30 p.m., CT) will be featured on SEC Network. Nate Gatter (play-by-play) will be on the broadcast all weekend while former Tiger Madi Norman Gerlach (Friday/Sunday) and Erin Miller (Saturday) will be analysts.
• Missouri then hosts SIUE in a midweek matchup at Mizzou Softball Stadium on April 17. First pitch is set for 5 p.m., CT.
• The Tigers then resume SEC play with a weekend road-series against Georgia April 19-21.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

• For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).