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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Tigers offense rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but their comeback came short as the University of Missouri softball team (25-19, 4-13 SEC) fell to Ole Miss (24-20, 4-10 SEC), 7-6, Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
Trailing 7-3, Mizzou’s bats responded with three runs on two hits in the seventh. Julia Crenshaw reached base on a fielder’s choice which scored Payton Jackson to cut the deficit to three.
Katie Chester then slapped a two-run single to right to make the score, 7-6, before the Rebels held Mizzou at bay.
Starter Laurin Krings retired nine batters via strikeout — allowing five hits in 6.2 innings while giving up three runs. Offensively, Julia Crenshaw chipped in three RBI while Alex Honnold (2-for-3 and an RBI) and Payton Jackson (2-for-3, two runs) each had a pair of hits.
Neither Missouri nor Ole Miss got on the board until the bottom of the fourth inning. Crenshaw drove home Honnold on a 3-2 pitch with a sacrifice fly for the early 1-0 edge.
In the next inning, the Tigers added two more runs (3-0) — the first from a Honnold RBI bunt single with the bases loaded before a RBI hit by pitch for Crenshaw.
Ole Miss trimmed the lead to 3-2 with a two-run homer from Paige Smith in the top of the sixth.
The Rebels then pulled ahead with a five-run sixth inning. Lexie Brady notched a two-run single and pinch hitter Mya Stevenson added a two-RBI double to increase the Ole Miss lead to 7-3.
NOTES
• Sunday was Laurin Krings’ 10th game of the season with five-plus strikeouts. She has registered the feat in nine of her last 11 starts.
• Laurin Krings pitched 6.2 innings — her 11th game of the season throwing for at least six innings.
• Laurin Krings now has 397 strikeouts and is three away from reaching 400 in her career at Mizzou. She ranks 10th in program history for the category.
• Laurin Krings posted nine strikeouts for the second time in 2023. She had a season high 11 against Illinois on March 14.
• Julia Crenshaw’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning marked her sixth of the season. She entered the weekend first in the SEC and seventh overall in the country for the category.
• Julia Crenshaw finished Sunday with three RBI (second time in 2023) for her eighth multi-RBI game. She reached base on a hit by pitch to put her reached base streak at four games.
• Jenna Laird (walk), Kara Daly (two walks) and Payton Jackson are all on three-game reached base streaks.
• Katie Chester knocked in two runs for her third multi-RBI game of the campaign.
• Alex Honnold (2-for-3, RBI, and a run) and Payton Jackson (2-for-3, two runs) each had a pair of hits to lead the Tigers. For Jackson, it matched a season-high and was her fourth game with two hits. She has posted a hit in each of the last three games.
• Alex Honnold registered her 15th multi-hit game of the season.
• Maddie Gallagher (hit by pitch) and Alex Honnold both extended their reached-base streaks to eight games.
• Missouri and Ole Miss are even at 1-1 in the SEC series ahead of Monday’s rubber match.
UP NEXT
The Tigers wrap up the series with the Rebels on Monday night at Mizzou Softball Stadium. First pitch for the finale is slated for 6 p.m., CT and will be broadcasted on SEC Network with Tiffany Greene and Erin Miller on the call.
Head coach Larissa Anderson will be mic’d up in the finale as part of SEC Network’s Mic’d Up Monday.
Monday’s game will also be on the radio at KTGR (105.1 FM, 100.5 FM, 1580 AM) with Andy Humphrey on the call.
Monday is a Gold Rush. Fans in attendance can receive Monday Night Softball shirts and gold shakers, as supplies last.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the game.
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.
