COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Tigers closed out its series against the Texas Longhorns in a doubleheader Sunday afternoon. After failing to complete the late comeback in game two’s 4-3 loss, the Tigers hoped to rebound with a win against the No. 1 team in the country in game three. However, after holding the Longhorns to just a single run through seven innings, the Tigers suffered a brutal 3-1 loss after a defensive lapse at the top of the eighth inning, allowing the three-game sweep to come to pass.
Prior to game one of the series, severe storm conditions in Columbia planted doubt over the initial scheduling against Texas. Changes came to pass, and what was planned to be a Friday through Sunday outing against the Longhorns became a rapid affair. With a double-header scheduled for the end of the weekend, Missouri’s recent trends against SEC opponents suggested they’d steal at least one game, adding to their resume with another ranked win despite what their 20-19 record looked like at first glance.
Opening up game three, Missouri placed Marissa McCann on the mound to start the game. In her sophomore season, the young pitcher has seen an elevated amount of play on the hill compared to last year, and in Sunday’s second matchup, she managed a solid workload. McCann pitched 5.2 innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits, with three strikeouts to boot.
The one run? A stellar solo homer from Longhorns utility player Mia Scott. The senior nailed the ball over center field in the top of the fourth, putting the pressure on Missouri to respond in kind. Respond it did, as sophomore infielder Madison Walker recorded her 14th homer of the season in the same inning, tying it up at one apiece.
From then on, Missouri and Texas were locked in a tight battle, ultimately needing extra-innings to decide the outcome. Junior reliever Taylor Pannell took over pitching duties for McCann in the fifth, and that is when the game brought its highest level of action. The Tigers nearly took the lead in the final regulation inning, but on an interference call against Claire Cahalan, both the sophomore and Senior catcher Julia Crenshaw were called out, ending their chance to win late. Soon after, Missouri allowed two earned runs in the eighth after an assortment of Longhorns players managed to get on base, ending its chance at victory and losing 3-1 on the day.
After going 0-3 against Texas, Missouri’s record has fallen to 20-21. With series against No. 18 Mississippi State, No. 5 Texas A&M, and No. 25 Alabama looming, the Tigers have to figure out its issues soon, or else it is likely that Missouri Softball will be on the chopping block heading into Selection Sunday on May 12.
Missouri finishes its five-game homestand April 9, against Southern Illinois.