All-Around Effort Pushes Missouri Softball to Series Win over South Carolina

On Saturday, No. 13/15 Missouri softball accomplished something that'd eluded them for a long, long time. For the first time in 741 days, the Tigers won an SEC series on the road, defeating South Carolina 4-2.

Similarly to the weather in Columbia, Sc. on Friday (a 14-minute rain delay paused action in the bottom of the second), the game was up-and-down for both teams. Missouri and South Carolina were both able to get plenty of runners aboard, and both teams capitalized.

However, the Tigers were able to capitalize more often, and they got going quickly. Former Gamecock Maddie Gallagher brought home Jenna Laird on a sacrifice fly, and fellow Long Island resident Stefania Abruscato added on with an RBI single.

In the top of the fourth, Kara Daly continued her rebound from a cold stretch with an RBI single. Two innings later, Katie Chester (who started at designated player after primarily serving as a pinch-hitter recently) singled home Julia Crenshaw.

But the story of the game was missed opportunities. The two teams combined for 20 runners left on base -- eight for Missouri and 12 for South Carolina. Although the Gamecocks scored two runs, they left the bases loaded in the first and second innings while stranding two runners in the third.

In the circle, Cierra Harrison, Marissa McCann and Taylor Pannell helped weather plenty of on-field storms. Harrison got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, and McCann got out of a bases-loaded jam the following inning. After McCann pitched for four and one-thirds innings, Pannell shut out the Gamecocks in the bottom of the seventh to extend her national lead in saves to 12.

With the win, Missouri clinched a top-six seed in the SEC tournament; even if MU loses on Sunday and ties current No. 6 seed LSU with a 12-12 conference record, the Columbia Tigers have the head-to-head advantage. Missouri can still achieve the No. 5 seed in the tournament if it can sweep South Carolina on Sunday and No. 12 Georgia falls to No. 19/20 Mississippi State on the same day.

First pitch for MU's last regular season game is set for 2 p.m. CST.