COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri softball stayed alive. The No.
7 Tigers beat Indiana 5-1 during an NCAA Tournament elimination game Saturday, bouncing back from a Friday defeat to maintain the possibility of advancing from a home regional in the postseason. Mizzou’s bats found some consistent contact while primary starting pitcher Laurin Krings only allowed three hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. Closer Taylor Pannell finished out the game for the Tigers, though the four-run advantage she had when she entered the game means she did not pick up the save she needs to tie the NCAA single-season record for that metric.
The win gave MU a quick turnaround before it faced Washington in another elimination game Saturday night, 35 minutes after the end of its win over Indiana. Go to stltoday.com for coverage.
After needing six innings to get a run on the board against Omaha on Friday, Missouri’s offense started much hotter, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Jenna Laird smacked the third pitch of the game past a diving outfielder for a double. Alex Honnold followed her onto the basepaths with a walk.
After failing to convert that kind of situation — two runners on, no outs — into runs Friday, the Tigers rectified the matter with some help from Indiana. Maddie Gallagher, MU’s third hitter, poked a dribbler toward IU pitcher Brianna Copeland. She mishandled the ball, and the Hoosiers subsequently fumbled the play at first base.
Laird scored easily on the .
