Mizzou Softball Drops Series Opener to No. 1 Florida, 7-6

Friday, May 1

Columbia, Mo.

6:30PM

University of Missouri

37-12, 13-9

Florida

48-4, 17-4

Florida

Missouri

Mizzou Softball Drops Series Opener to No. 1 Florida, 7-6

5/1/2015 3:41:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

The Tigers launch four home runs, but fall short to late Gators rally

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Softball fell to No. 1 Florida in its series opener. With the loss, Mizzou moves to 37-12 on the season and 13-9 in SEC play. The Tigers smacked four home runs on the day, but Florida pushed past Mizzou with a game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning.

Already facing a 2-0 deficit after the top of the first inning, Mizzou battled back in the bottom half of the frame. Junior outfielder Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) came to the plate and sent a pitch over the right field wall for a solo home run.

Freshman infielder Amanda Sanchez (West Covina, Calif.) got in on the action, launching a two-run home run over the right-centerfield wall to put the Tigers up 3-2 in the first inning. Mizzou kept its offensive outburst going in the bottom of the second with a solo-home run from freshman outfielder Morgan Walters (Buford, Ga.) to extend the Tigers' lead to 4-2.

Florida struck again in the top of the fourth, putting a crooked number up on the scoreboard. The Gators plated three runs on four hits and were aided by an error from Mizzou in the inning. The Gators tacked on one run of insurance in the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the inning, Sanchez launched her second long bomb of the game to score a run and put the Tigers back within striking distance. Her thirteenth home run of the season, Sanchez's home run marked the team's 67th blast of the year, putting them in a tie for second place in Mizzou history for most homers in a single season.

Mizzou sparked a game-tying rally in the bottom of the sixth inning when Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.) reached base on a two-out walk. Crane later singled Gadbois over to third and then the speedster proceeded to score on a wild pitch to tie the game up. The Gators plated the game winning run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly. Gadbois fielded the popup in center and rifled a throw home, but the Florida baserunner just barely beat the tag.

Mizzou is back in action tomorrow on Saturday, May 2. Mizzou and Florida will meet again with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. CT. The game will be televised live on the SEC Network and the Tiger seniors will be recognized in a post-game ceremony. For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouSoftball.