COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Softball (29-25, 7-16 SEC) sent off its five seniors in style Sunday afternoon inside Mizzou Softball Stadium, claiming an extra inning 3-2 walk-off victory against No. 21 Ole Miss. With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, Ole Miss' third basemen committed her second error of the day to allow the Tigers' game-winning run to cross the plate.
Sunday's series finale triumph over the Rebels marked the Tigers' ninth nationally ranked top 25 win of the season. All seven of Mizzou's victories in conference action have come against top 25 foes.
Redshirt junior Anna Reed (Lonedell, Mo.) was Mizzou's key offensive contributor throughout the game, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBI. Reed's third home run of the year, a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning, tied the game at two apiece.
Sophomore Kolby Romaine (Chino Hills, Calif.) continued her hot hitting in the opening frame with a single to left. The base knock improved her career high hitting streak to seven games.
Senior Cheyenne Baxter (Norborne, Mo.) routinely flirted with danger through her first three innings of work, but managed to escape jams each time out. While she posted three goose eggs on the scoreboard, Ole Miss stranded six baserunners through three frames.
The Tigers' first golden scoring opportunity occurred in the bottom half of the third. A pair of Mizzou batters were hit by pitch with two outs, but the Rebels' starting hurler tallied a big strikeout to end the threat.
Ole Miss cracked the scoreboard first with two runs in the fourth inning. The Rebels tallied three hits in the frame, but scored both runs on a costly Mizzou throwing error. The Tigers answered with a run of their own in the bottom half, as Reed perfectly executed a hit and run with an RBI double to the left-center gap.
Baxter continued her sharp outing in the circle by shutting down the Rebels from the fifth through the seventh inning, ultimately opening the door for Reed's thrilling game-tying blast. The Tiger righty once again produced consecutive shutout frames in the eighth and ninth inning, allowing Mizzou to earn the walk-off win.
Overall on the day, Baxter allowed zero earned runs (two total runs) with five strikeouts over nine innings in the circle. The Norborne, Mo., native earned her seventh win in SEC play this season, all coming against nationally ranked top 25 opponents.
Hear from the Tigers
Baxter on her performance today in the circle…
"It was iffy. There were a lot of walks, but I felt like I got better as the game went on. I got more confident and threw more strikes as it went along. I was moving the ball better and the defense stepped up as well."
Reed on her big day at the plate…
"It's a great feeling. It hasn't really hit me until now. I was so pumped after my home run and being able to produce for my team. It was so excited. Seeing everyone else getting so happy for me was awesome."
Up Next
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, Mizzou now turns its attention to postseason play. Up first is a trip to Knoxville, Tenn., for the 2017 SEC Tournament. The Tigers will open their tournament on Wednesday, May 10. Mizzou's opponent and first pitch of the game will be determined later tonight.
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