Missouri Tigers drop opener of NCAA softball Super Regional to James Madison
When Missouri’s shutout streak ended in the NCAA softball tournament, so did the Tigers’ winning streak.
James Madison scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning Friday night and opened the best-of-three Super Regional with a 2-1 victory over Mizzou.
Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Softball Stadium. The Tigers need a victory to keep their season alive. A Dukes’ victory sends them to the College World Series.
“We’re going to fight like crazy tomorrow to make sure it’s not our last game of the year,” Mizzou coach Larissa Anderson said.
Missouri starter Jordan Weber was brilliant once again. She followed her no-hitter against Iowa State in the Columbia Regional-clinching victory with six hitless innings on Friday.
In three NCAA games last weekend, the Tigers didn’t surrender a run.
But James Madison broke through in the seventh inning on Friday. The Dukes got a leadoff single from Odicci Alexander. With one out, Weber hit a batter, then surrendered successive singles to plate the first run. A sacrifice fly made it 2-0.
Weber, who played in high school at Lee’s Summit West, finished with nine strikeouts. But she got little support from the Mizzou lineup until the seventh.
Alexander walked four batters, with pinch-hitter Alex Honnold drawing a four-pitch walk that gave Mizzou a run.
That brought Brooke Wilmes to the plate. Her third-inning single had been Mizzou’s lone hit. This time, Alexander got Wilmes to fly out to left field to end the game.
