Missouri softball survives elimination again, sets up decider vs Duke in super regional

Missouri softball has faced elimination five times in the NCAA Tournament.

Missouri softball is still standing.

The No. 7 national seed Tigers defeated No. 10 Duke 3-1 on Saturday in the second game of the NCAA Columbia Super Regional, surviving elimination yet again in what has been a remarkable postseason run in Columbia, Missouri.

The Tigers did it by the skin of their teeth. Missouri closer Taylor Pannell entered the game in the sixth with one runner aboard. She followed that up with a walk, and then an error at first base loaded the bases with the Tigers up two runs.

Duke third baseman Ana Gold drilled one up the left-field line. It drifted inches foul.

Pannell followed that up with a gotcha off-speed strikeout, then got catcher Kelly Torres to pop up to the shortstop and end the threat.

The reliever closed the door in the seventh by drawing a lineout to first base, a pop up to third and a strikeout to slam the door shut. With that, she tied the NCAA single-season saves record.

It was her 15th save of the season.

And undoubtedly her most important.

The Tigers are now one win away from their first Women’s College World Series berth since 2011.

Everything MU needed out of its offense to set that chance up came in the fourth inning. Before then, nine MU players went up and nine went down. The Tigers didn’t have the same struggles in the second run through the lineup.

Center fielder Alex Honnold and second baseman Maddie Gallagher hit back-to-back singles to put runners on base for the first time of the game in the top of the fourth. Then, Columbia local and Rock Bridge High grad Abby Hay capitalized.

She drove a single to shallow center to score Alex Honnold. The Duke defense that had been near-flawless for 10 innings in the super regional then faltered.

The throw from right fielder Claire Davidson to home plate was wide right, and the catcher spilled it out back toward the circle. That let Maddie Gallagher make it home while Hay stretched a single all the way to third. Missouri catcher Julia Crenshaw, in the very next at bat, put one in play to score Hay and make it 3-0 Mizzou.

That came, seemingly, out of nowhere.

Starters Laurin Krings for Missouri and Jala Wright for Duke each were perfect through three innings.

Like she did four times to help MU survive the regional round, Krings seldom looked like she was going to be outdone.

The Missouri starter’s run ended with a leadoff single in the fourth from center fielder D’Auna Jennings. She followed that up by striking out .440 hitter Davidson; taking an Aminah Vega line drive straight at her face mask before turning it to first for an out; and drawing a groundout to end the Blue Devils’ first threat of the game.

Krings was replaced in the circle by Marissa McCann after a solo shot from Duke designated player Francesca Frelick, exiting the game after 4.2 innings, 66 pitches, two hits, one earned run, no walks and three strikeouts.

The outfielders had a busy opening couple of innings, as Mizzou and Duke managed just about everything but a base hit. Nine of the opening 18 at-bats, between the two teams, made it to the outfield. Nobody made it to first base.

Something, at some point, had to give.

Missouri forced the first crack. Duke knocked on the door late in the game, but as they have done five times now when facing elimination in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers survived the scare.

That sets up a Sunday decider for a berth to the Women’s College World Series between Missouri and Duke. The time for the game will be announced later Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri softball defeats Duke, now one win away from WCWS berth