It was a rough weekend at home for the Tigers, who dropped three to the Florida Gators. Meanwhile, softball accomplished something they hadn’t done in their first four years in the SEC.
Baseball Swept by Gators
After dropping their season opener, just like the Oakland A’s in Moneyball, the Missouri baseball team proceeded to reel off 20-straight wins. Since then, the Tigers have lost six-of-seven, including a sweep at home at the hands of Florida. Despite a gaudy overall record, the Tigers are under .500, at 4-5 in conference play.
Tanner Houck opened the series for the Tigers, throwing seven innings while fanning eight batters. But the Tigers couldn’t get to Gators’ ace Alex Faedo, as the Gators won the matchup of aces, 4-3. Florida took the next two matchups, 2-1, to sweep the series.
The Tigers get back on the field Tuesday as they go to Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini. On Thursday, they get back into SEC action in Athens, as they take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game set.
More from Truman's Tales
- Believe it or not, Missouri football has never played these FBS teams
- Missouri Tigers all-time round-by-round NCAA tournament record
- March Madness schedule: When do the Missouri Tigers play next? (Updated Round of 64)
- The Missouri Tigers Kansas Jayhawks Border War Renews
- Marching Mizzou Marches into the Big Apple
Softball takes first SEC series with Tide
In Tuscaloosa, the softball team got their first walk-off win of the 2017 season, as they defeated the Crimson Tide 4-3 in the series finale to win their first series against Alabama, as a member of the SEC. This should provide a much-needed boost of morale the rest of the way, in what has been a down year.
Rylee Pierce had her first multi-home run game of her career on Sunday, as she blasted a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run bomb in the sixth. Both of those hits would eventually tie the game before Kolby Romaine drove-in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Mizzou took the first game of the series 2-0, as Cheyenne Baxter threw a complete game shutout. Not to be outdone, Alabama went deep four times the next day en route to a 9-3 win, before Mizzou took the rubber match.
Each of the last three years’ softball teams eclipsed the 40-win plateau, but now they sit at just 20-14 with 18 games left in the season and have many tough games left. In consecutive weekends they host No. 23 Arkansas, play at fifth-ranked Auburn, host No. 16 Kentucky, visit No. 10 LSU, and then close the season at home against No. 24 Ole Miss.