Softball Drops SEC Tournament Quarterfinal Game to Missouri
AUBURN, Ala. – Four-seed Arkansas dropped its SEC Tournament quarterfinal game to five-seed Missouri, 3-1, Friday morning at Jane B. Moore Field.
Weather greatly impacted the quarterfinal matchup as it began at 8:07 p.m. CT Thursday but was suspended in the top of the fifth inning with no outs, runners at the corners and the Tigers in front 2-1. Play resumed at 9:02 a.m. Friday.
The Razorbacks fall to 30-16 overall and look to turn the page at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks, vying for the program’s fifth national seed under head coach Courtney Deifel, await their destiny until 6 p.m. Sunday when the 2024 NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs on ESPN2.
Senior RHP Morgan Leinstock (13-5) started in the circle for the Razorbacks and surrendered three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five across 4.0 innings. The First-Team All-SEC honoree only walked one batter Thursday night. Missouri didn’t waste time as the Tigers scored on an RBI double to left center in the first to grasp onto a 1-0 lead.
Senior third baseman Hannah Gammill blasted her 12th home run of the season and the 45th of her career (fourth all-time in program history) in the bottom of the fourth to tie it at 1-1. In the top of the fifth, the Tigers regained a 2-1 lead with an RBI double to center. Leinstock was then replaced by sophomore LHP Robyn Herron with no outs and runners at the corners. Herron quickly fired two strikes to carry a 0-2 count before the game was suspended until the morning due to weather.
Resuming play Friday morning, Herron dealt her first strikeout for the first out of the inning. Next, Kennedy Miller erased a would-be base stealer in a rundown but the play allowed Missouri’s runner at third to score to push its lead to 3-1.
Arkansas had its chance in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases with no outs. First, Nia Carter singled through the left side and then Bri Ellis was hit by a pitch to move Carter to second. A line-drive single that pounced off the shortstop’s glove by Cylie Halvorson allowed both to advance and juice the bases. The Razorbacks were then retired in order and kept off the board in the sixth.
Carter paced Arkansas with a 2-for-3 effort that included two base knocks. Hannah Gammill was responsible for the Hogs’ lone run off her solo home run. Reagan Johnson and Cylie Halvorson rounded out Arkansas’ hits tally with a base hit apiece.
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