COLUMBIA, Mo. - Facing a 6-0 deficit after the first inning, Mizzou Softball (20-4, 4-1) used a six-run sixth inning to complete a relentless comeback win over No. 14 Tennessee. Junior Sami Fagan went 2-for-3 with four RBI at the dish. Her bases-loaded double erased an 8-5 Tennessee lead and propelled the Tigers to the thrilling victory.
Freshman Paige Lowary (Dallas Center, Iowa) secured her 10th victory to begin her collegiate career. She is now a perfect 10-0 on the season. Lowary surrendered a pair of three-run home runs in the opening frame that handed the Volunteers a quick six-run cushion. The freshman clamped down though, tossing another 5.1 solid innings to keep Mizzou in the game.
The Tigers continued to chip away at the deficit throughout the night. In the second inning, senior Corrin Genovese (East Amherst, N.Y.) reached on an error and came around to score on a fielder's choice. Genovese crossed home plate again in the fourth following a clutch plate appearance from senior Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.). Roth polished off a 10-pitch at-bat with an RBI base knock to center.
Roth eventually scored Mizzou's third run when junior Kayla Kingsley (Oklahoma City, Okla.) hustled down the line to beat out an infield single. Through four innings, the Tigers had sliced Tennessee's lead to 6-3.
The Volunteers managed to tack on two more runs behind an RBI single in the fourth and a solo home run in the fifth, but it was not enough to hold off Mizzou.
Roth launched the big sixth frame with a lead-off single. She finished the contest going 3-for-4 at the plate. Then, three straight walks opened up the door for the Tigers and plated a run. An at-bat later, junior Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.) got hit by a pitch to cut the deficit to 8-5. That set the table for Fagan's huge bases-clearing double that knotted the score.
Freshman Amanda Sanchez capped off the incredible comeback with a rocket single to right that scored Genovese and handed Mizzou its first lead of the game at 9-8.
Sophomore Tori Finucane (Germantown, M.D.) entered the circle in the seventh inning and induced two consecutive fly outs. Then Lowary came back in and finished off the side to seal the win.
Mizzou is back in action tomorrow on Sunday, March 22 for the final contest of the three-game set. The Tigers and Volunteers face off with first pitch set for 12 p.m. CT. For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouSoftball.