1 week Ago
Who else but Julia Crenshaw? Like so many times before, the senior catcher lifted Mizzou softball offensively. On Saturday night against No. 15/20 Alabama, she literally shined from start to finish.
She kicked off the action with a bang, taking the fourth pitch of the game over the fence in left field. She wasn't done. In the bottom of the seventh, facing her last strike with MU down by three, she hit a game-tying three run home run into center field.
As the ball smashed into the ground, UA center fielder Kristen White stood stunned on the warning track, looking at right fielder Larissa Preuitt as if the sky had come crashing down. However, it was everything in-between -- and right after Crenshaw's game-tying shot -- that left MU stunned by game's end. Just like so many times before, Mizzou fell off the rails.
Alabama scored six unanswered runs over the next five innings, and the Crimson Tide walked it off in the bottom of the seventh en route to an 7-6 win. The game-winning run came courtesy of a throwing error by Kara Daly, which allowed Kinley Pate to score. The loss dropped the Tigers to 23-28 overall and 4-16 in the SEC.
It also guaranteed that MU will finish the regular season below .500. Moreover, Mizzou has lost yet another SEC series; next week's three-game tilt against Georgia will be its final chance for a conference series win.
Shortly following Crenshaw's home run, the Crimson Tide sunk Cierra Harrison. Alabama's first three batters reached base courtesy of a walk, hit by pitch and bunt, respectively. UA's cleanup hitter, Brooke Ellestad, cleared the bases with a double down the left field line.
Two innings later, following a leadoff walk by pinch-hitter Lauren Johnson, Kali Heivilin smashed a home run into left field, knocking Harrison out of the game. In the fourth inning, Johnson extended the Crimson Tide lead to 6-1 with an RBI single. Mizzou wouldn't go away quietly.
In the top of the sixth, Madison Walker hit a two-run home run, her 18th blast of the season. In the bottom of the seventh, Mya Dodge kept MU alive with a single, which was followed by Crenshaw's home run. Walker's blast, Dodge's hit and Crenshaw's home run all came with two strikes and two outs.
Despite Walker, Dodge and Crenshaw's late efforts, the Tigers couldn't escape another series loss. They've also lost four of their last five games; all four losses have come by two runs or less. MU will look to salvage a series win next week when it hosts Georgia.
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