Tigers Clinch Series Over UNT with 2-1 Win Saturday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sparked by a two-run sixth inning, the University of Missouri softball team (28-20) defeated the North Texas Mean Green (26-19) in comeback fashion with a 2-1 victory, clinching the series win Saturday afternoon at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Mizzou offense heated up, starting with a leadoff single from Megan Moll. After the lineup flipped over, Alex Honnold leveled the score with an RBI single up the middle, advancing all the way to third base on the throw home. 

Kara Daly followed suit with a well-placed squeeze play, laying down a perfect bunt along the third-base line. Honnold dashed 60 feet home to give Mizzou the lead while Daly beat the North Texas defense to first base. 

Freshman Cierra Harrison then shut the door with a 1-2-3 seventh, clinching the Tigers’ first series victory of the campaign.

Senior pitcher Jordan Weber started for Mizzou, going 5.0 innings while giving up just one run and striking out three Mean Green hitters.

North Texas struck first in game two of the series with a sacrifice fly from Molly Rainey brought home Rylee Nicholson to give the Mean Green a 1-0 edge in the top of the second.

From there, Weber and the Tigers snuffed out North Texas threats to keep the deficit at one through the early innings. After allowing the RBI sacrifice fly, the Lee’s Summit, Missouri, product, stranded a runner on third to end the threat, striking out Cierra Simon.

Two innings later, the Mean Green were threatening to add an insurance run with two on and one out, but Weber again evaded danger, recording a strikeout and a flyout to get out of the frame.

The defense came in clutch in the top of the fifth, as Moll caught Simon trying to steal second, nabbing her first base runner of the season.

Harrison entered the game to relieve Weber after five innings of work. The freshman punched out back-to-back North Texas batters, outlasting Rainey in an eight-pitch battle to strand two runners in scoring position and keep the deficit at one. 

Harrison and Weber combined to leave seven North Texas runners on the basepaths, keeping the Tigers in the contest into the late innings, before Missouri took the lead in the sixth. 

GAME NOTES

• The Tigers pushed their all-time series advantage over the Mean Green to 6-1.

• Alex Honnold extended her reached-base streak to 12 games with a RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. She was 1-for-2 at the plate with a run, walk and RBI. 

• Megan Moll went 1-for-2 at the dish with a run. 

• Kara Daly posted her eighth multi-hit game of the season with a single and bunt single. She finished Saturday 2-for-3 with a RBI. 

• Cierra Harrison picked up the win in the circle, elevating her record to 8-2 this season.

• Cierra Harrison also registered her fifth shutout performance of the year.

• Missouri secured its second win of the season after trailing through five innings.

• By earning the win while scoring just two runs, Mizzou won its second contest of the season in which it scored two or fewer runs.

• Mizzou earned its first series victory of 2023.

• With the win, the Tigers are in the midst of a three-game win streak, the team’s longest since claiming eight games in a row from Feb. 15-23.

• Missouri wore specialty white and teal jerseys as part of the third annual “All for Alex” weekend to honor the legacy of Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox. Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. 

UP NEXT

The Tigers will look to sweep the series against North Texas Sunday at Mizzou Softball Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for noon, CT with the game broadcasted on SEC Network+.

The series finale is Bark in the Park and Family Funday Sunday with postgame autographs and base running.

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.