No. 23 Softball Headed to Panther Invitational Championship Final After Pair of Wins Saturday

MIAMI – The No. 23 Missouri Softball program (8-2) advanced to the 2023 Panther Invitational Championship Final after a pair of victories Saturday at Felsberg Field at the FIU Softball Stadium. Mizzou will face Pittsburgh Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., CT in the Final. 

The Tigers registered two strong performances in the circle as Mizzou beat Invitational host, FIU (5-5), 8-0 in five innings before edging Butler (1-9), 5-1, in the No. 1 vs. No. 4 seed game. 

Senior Jordan Weber picked up her first no-hitter of the season as the Tigers run-ruled FIU, 8-0, in five innings. Weber allowed just two walks to go with four strikeouts for her third career no-hitter at Missouri (second individual no-hitter). 

In the evening matchup to open bracket play, freshman Cierra Harrison was stellar in the circle. Harrison allowed just a run on two hits with a career-high eight strikeouts to improve to 3-0 in 2023. 

No. 23 Missouri 8, FIU 0 

The Tigers utilized a five-run third inning to run-rule tournament host, FIU, 8-0 in five innings Saturday afternoon. 

Jenna Laird led off the game with a walk before stealing second and scoring on an Alex Honnold RBI single to center. 

Missouri then increased its advantage to 6-0 in the third inning.

Left fielder Maddie Snider commenced the frame with a single before moving to second after Laird was plunked by a pitch. Snider and Laird then moved into scoring position on a passed ball before a two-run single from Honnold. 

Julia Crenshaw then knocked a base hit before Riley Frizell connected on a two-run double to extend the Mizzou lead to 5-0. 

Frizell would advance to third on a Panthers error before touching home on a wild pitch to make the score 6-0. 

With one out in the fourth, Honnold would double to center before stealing third. The junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, then tagged up from third to score on Crenshaw’s sacrifice fly to center.

Frizell then blasted her first home run of the season to center to push the margin to 8-0. For Frizell, a junior first baseman from Willoughby, Ohio, the round tripper was her sixth in her career at Missouri. 

Starter Jordan Weber dazzled in the circle, improving to 2-2 with a 5.0 inning no-hitter. She allowed just two walks while notching a season-best four strikeouts.  

NOTES

• Alex Honnold led the Tigers at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 (season best) with three RBI and two runs scored. She hit her second double of the campaign. 
• Riley Frizell was 2-for-3 with three RBI (season best) and two runs. She posted a double (first career) and a homer (first of season, sixth career) in the win. 
• Julia Crenshaw, Katie Chester, Maddie Gallagher, and Maddie Snider each had a hit. 
• Alex Honnold, Riley Frizell, and Jenna Laird each scored twice.
• Jordan Weber picked up her third career no-hitter (second career individual no-hitter). She notched a season-best four strikeouts with a pair of walks to improve to 2-2 in 2023.
• The run-rule win is the fourth of the season for Mizzou. 

No. 23 Missouri 5, Butler 1 

To open bracket play, the Tigers overcame an early 1-0 deficit to best Butler, 5-1, in the No. 1 vs. No. 4 game Saturday. 

Missouri posted a three-spot in the second to take a 3-1 edge and would not relinquish the lead. 

Katie Chester posted a one-out walk before advancing to second on a Maddie Gallagher single. 

Megan Moll then advanced the duo on a groundout before Maddie Snider blasted a two-run single to right for a 2-1 Missouri lead. 

Jenna Laird would follow with a single to right center to score Snider.

The Tigers would then extend the advantage to 5-1 in the fifth. 

Kara Daly would single through the right side before heading to second as Gallagher was hit by a pitch. The pair moved up 60 feet on a wild pitch.

Daly would then score on an error by the shortstop. 

Snider then picked up her second hit of the game and third RBI (both personal bests) with a single to center which plated Gallagher. 

Freshman Cierra Harrison improved to 3-0 in the circle with a personal-best outing. The Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native, pitched a career-best five innings, surrendering just two hits for a run to go with eight strikeouts. 

Megan Schumacher came on in relief in the final two innings, scattering four hits with a strikeout. 

NOTES

• Maddie Snider (2-for-2, personal best), Riley Frizell (2-for-4) and Jenna Laird (2-for-4) each had two hits. 
• Maddie Snider added a career-high three RBI while Jenna Laird posted a RBI. 
• Maddie Gallagher scored a personal-best two times. 
• Maddie Snider, Kara Daly, and Kendal Cook (pinch runner) each scored once. For Cook, it was her first run of the 2023 season.  
• Cierra Harrison improved to 3-0 in the circle, allowing just one run on two hits with a personal-high eight strikeouts over five innings of work. 
• Megan Schumacher made her fourth appearance of the season, closing out the final two innings in relief of Cierra Harrison. Schumacher notched a strikeout while allowing just four hits. 

UP NEXT

• The No. 23 Tigers wrap the Panther Invitational Sunday. Mizzou will face Pittsburgh in the Championship Final Sunday at 8:30 a.m., CT. 
• Missouri next heads to Palm Springs, California, for the Mary Nutter Cathedral City Collegiate Classic, its third non-conference tournament of the season. The Tigers will face Cal Poly, BYU, 19/24 Oregon State, 24/22 Oregon, and Long Beach State over the three-day tournament Feb. 23-25. 

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