The Mizzou softball offense matched the frigid temperatures in Columbia, failing to register a hit in a 8-0 run-rule loss in Game 1 to No. 1 Texas.
This marked the third time this season the Tigers have been run-ruled this season, playing the minimum five innings. Julia Crenshaw and Madison Walker were the only two to reach base on various Longhorns errors. However, they were never advanced as Texas Pitcher Teagan Kavan forced an out on the other 15 plate appearances, striking out 11 batters while allowing no hits.
“She’s an All-American,” Mizzou head coach Larissa Anderson said. “She can throw every pitch in every plane…her rise ball and her drop ball tunnel the same…she throws 68 consistently, really good spin, to have that much movement, throw it as hard as she does, and then add ehr drop into it makes it really difficult to be able to square her up.”
Marissa McCann started the game pitching for the first time since last Monday against Ole Miss. Texas opened the scoring early with four runs in the opening frame. The Longhorns loaded the bases with a pair of infield hits before Mia Scott pushed another hit into left field with no outs in the inning. With the bases loaded, catcher Reese Atwood scored the first run with an RBI sac fly. First baseman Joley Mitchell added to the scoring with a three-run homer to give the Longhorns a 4-0 lead early in the first inning.
“We should have been out of that inning in the first three batters,” Anderson said. “You can’t give Texas six outs in an inning.”
Atwood added another run on a solo home run smashed deep into center field in the third inning to extend the Texas lead to five. The Longhorns scored their final three runs in the fifth inning, chasing McCann after a leadoff triple from Mia Scott.
Nathalie Touchet came in relief, allowing three singles and a walk as Texas reached the eight runs necessary for the mercy rule.
Rainy weather in Columbia forced the first game of the series to be rescheduled several times; first from Friday night, then Friday morning, then Saturday morning into Saturday evening.
“Not many people know what goes in behind-the-scenes with Game Day [Operations] and communicating [with] umpires and grounds crew and even meal arrangements, like it’s a lot,” Anderson said. “Yesterday, we had an extremely good warm-up, and then it’s kind of like that sit-and-wait, and it’s kind of a mental downer that you don’t get to play when you’re so anxious to play. But there’s no excuse, they got to be able to get themselves ready to play regardless if we’re sitting for the last 24, 48 hours, like it doesn’t matter. The game doesn’t care.”
The series will be finished tomorrow, Sunday April 6 with a double header at noon and 3 p.m. from the Mizzou Softball Stadium.