Softball Splits Saturday at No. 25/23 Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Missouri softball program (31-21, 5-15 SEC) evened its road series with No. 25/23 Texas A&M (31-18, 11-12) after an 8-1 game two victory Saturday afternoon at the Davis Diamond. 

After dropping the resumption of Friday’s weather delayed opener, 6-2, to start the day, the Tigers offense responded with 10 hits to knot the series at 1-1.

Missouri and Texas A&M will face off in the rubber match Sunday at 5 p.m., CT on SEC Network. 

GAME 1 – No. 25/23 Texas A&M 6, Missouri 2

Texas A&M opened Saturday with a 6-2 win in the resumption of game one from Friday. 

The Aggies took an early 2-0 advantage courtesy of a two-run homer from Julia Cottrill in the bottom of the first.

Texas A&M increased the edge to 3-0 with a solo home run from Aiyana Coleman the following frame. 

Alex Honnold then cut the deficit to one with one swing of the bat in the third. The junior centerfielder from West Des Moines, Iowa, connected on her team-leading 13th dinger to trim the lead to 3-2. 

Maddie Snider led off the third with a bunt single before a fielder’s choice from Jenna Laird set the stage for Honnold’s blast. 

The Aggies responded with a trio of runs in the bottom half of the inning to regrow their margin to 6-2. Amari Harper registered a sacrifice fly in foul territory before Cottrill notched her second home run of the day, another two-run shot. 

Starter Laurin Krings was assessed the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits with a strikeout and a walk. 

GAME NOTES

• Jenna Laird (2-for-4), Alex Honnold (2-for-3) and Maddie Gallagher (2-for-3) each posted a pair of hits to lead the Tigers in game one.  
• Alex Honnold extended her reached base streak to 15 games (four-game hitting streak) with a two-run homer in the third. It marked Honnold’s team-leading 10th multi-RBI game in 2023. 
• Alex Honnold notched her team-leading 13th home run and 18th multi-hit game of the campaign. 
• Maddie Gallagher extended her reached base streak to 14 games with her sixth multi-hit game of the season.
• Jenna Laird registered her team-leading 19th multi-hit game of the season. 
• Left fielder Maddie Snider added a bunt single in the third.
• Megan Schumacher pitched three scoreless innings in relief with a pair of strikeouts to extend her scoreless stretch to seven innings dating back to the SIUE midweek win on April 25. 
• Missouri’s series opener with Texas A&M was suspended on Friday at 5:45 p.m., CT due to a weather delay and resumed Saturday at 2 p.m.

GAME 2 – Missouri 8, No. 25/23 Texas A&M 1

Jordan Weber pitched 6.1 innings, allowing no earned runs over four hits with two strikeouts as the Mizzou offense compiled 10 hits to even the series after an 8-1 win. 

Mizzou took an early 3-0 lead through three frames. Jenna Laird led off the contest with a single up the middle before Julia Crenshaw connected on a RBI double for a 1-0 Missouri advantage. 

Crenshaw then plated a pair of Tigers on an error by the Aggies centerfielder in the third. 

Texas A&M tacked on a run in the fifth off a sacrifice fly to cut the edge to 3-1 before the Tigers sealed the victory with five runs over the final two innings. 

Riley Frizell belted a two-run double to right center in the sixth to push the margin to 5-1. Crenshaw commenced the inning with a bunt single before a fielder’s choice from Maddie Gallagher and a walk for Payton Jackson laid the groundwork for Frizell. 

Crenshaw then added a RBI base hit in the seventh before Frizell wrapped the scoring with a two-run single to left. 

Jordan Weber earned the win in the circle, allowing four hits and no earned runs with two strikeouts and five walks.

GAME NOTES

• Julia Crenshaw and Riley Frizell both led the Tigers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double. The three hits matched a career best for Crenshaw (fourth time in career, third time in 2023) while the outing was a career high for Frizell.
• For Crenshaw, the multi-hit game was her 14th of the campaign. She also registered her team-leading 10th multi-RBI game, finishing the game with two. 
• For Frizell, the multi-hit game was her sixth of the season. She also posted her fifth multi-RBI game in 2023, finishing the game with a career-best matching four.
• Jenna Laird added a 2-for-4 day at the plate with two runs and a stolen base. She has notched a hit in each of the last three games. 
• Julia Crenshaw and Maddie Gallagher each added stolen bases.
• Alex Honnold extended her reached-base streak to 16 games with a walk.
• Maddie Gallagher pushed her reached-base streak to 15 games with a base hit. 
• Maddie Snider posted a hit in each of the two games (both bunt singles) with Texas A&M. 
• Jordan Weber improved to 40-23 in her career (8-7 in 2023), allowing four hits and no earned runs with two strikeouts and five walks. 
• Jordan Weber pitched out of multiple jams Saturday and eliminated the threat in the second with a 1-5-3 double play.
• Closer Taylor Pannell registered the final two outs to secure the win. Pannell has thrown 1.1 scoreless innings over her last two appearances.  

Looking Ahead

Missouri will wrap its road series at Texas A&M Sunday at 5 p.m., CT at Davis Diamond. Sunday’s finale will be on SEC Network and feature Kevin Fitzgerald and Danielle Lawrie on the broadcast.

Following the Tigers final regular-season SEC road trip, Missouri will return home for senior weekend at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. The Tigers will host No. 11/12 Arkansas in a weekend series May 5-7. All three games will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with game times set for 7 p.m., CT, 4 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Fans can receive bucket hats (Friday) and Own It cups (Saturday), while supplies last. Sunday is Family Funday Sunday with postgame autographs and base running.

The Tigers will honor Kendal Cook, Payton Jackson, Addie Lange, Hannah McGivern, Megan Moll, Emma Nichols, Megan Schumacher, and Jordan Weber on Senior Day Saturday.

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.