Softball Edges Mississippi State, 3-1, in SEC Tournament Opener Tuesday

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Laurin Krings threw a complete game two-hitter, as the No. 13-seeded University of Missouri softball program (34-23) defeated No. 12-seed Mississippi State (28-25), 3-1, Tuesday evening to commence the 2023 SEC Tournament at Bogle Park.

With the victory, Mizzou will now face No. 14/13-ranked and No. 5-seed Alabama Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., CT. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network. 

Jenna Laird (2-for-4, two runs) and Kara Daly (2-for-3, RBI, walk) both finished with a pair of hits to complement Krings’ performance in the circle. Krings allowed just one run on two hits with three strikeouts for the victory.

Mizzou struck first in the second with a RBI triple from Maddie Snider. Snider, a sophomore left fielder from Columbia, Missouri, hammered her second career triple to right center to plate Payton Jackson who reached on a Bulldogs error. 

Nadia Barbary then lined a solo shot over the left field line in the bottom of the fourth to even the contest. 

With the game tied at 1-1, the Tigers secured the win with runs off doubles in the fifth and seventh. 

Alex Honnold smashed a RBI double off the top of the center field padding in the fifth before Kara Daly added a RBI double in the seventh. 

Laird came aboard in the fifth on a single before taking second on a MSU miscue to set the stage for Honnold’s go-ahead double.

In the seventh, Laird was once again the catalyst, singling up the middle before Honnold was hit by a pitch to put two Tigers on with Daly heading to the dish. 

GAME NOTES

• Jenna Laird (2-for-4) and Kara Daly (2-for-3) paced the Tigers with two hits each.
• For Jenna Laird, the multi-hit game was her 21st of the season. Kara Daly notched her 11th multi-hit game in 2023. 
• Jenna Laird extended her reached-base streak to nine games while Alex Honnold pushed her reached-base streak to four. 
• Kara Daly, Riley Frizell, Maddie Snider, and Jenna Laird have each posted hits in three-straight games. 
• Kara Daly notched her team-leading 13th double of the campaign. She is one of three Tigers with double-digit doubles along with Julia Crenshaw (13) and Alex Honnold (11, double Tuesday).
• Maddie Snider registered her second career triple in the win.
• Laurin Krings compiled her 12th win of the season (12-11, 39-23 in career) with her ninth complete-game victory of the season. It’s her second-straight season with 12 or more wins after posting a 16-9 mark in 2022. 
• For Laurin Krings, Tuesday marked her 15th game of six or more innings this season.
• With the win, Mizzou won its third-straight SEC Tournament opener dating back to 2021. 

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