@MizzouSoftball Drops Series Opener at No. 4 Tennessee, 7-4

Friday, March 9

Knoxville, Tenn.

4 pm

University of Missouri

16-8, 0-1

(#4) Tennessee

22-1, 1-0

Mizzou

Tennessee

@MizzouSoftball Drops Series Opener at No. 4 Tennessee, 7-4

3/9/2018 8:10:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Sixth inning grand slam by the Volunteers proves to be difference maker

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Mizzou Softball (16-8, 0-1 SEC) pulled within one run late Friday, but a sixth inning grand slam by No. 4 Tennessee proved to be the deciding factor in the teams' Southeastern Conference season opener.

The Tigers had ample scoring opportunities against the Volunteers, as they produced seven hits and drew five walks. However, Mizzou ultimately left nine runners on base, including stranding multiple baserunners in four separate innings.

#ShowMe Top Performers

Kolby Romaine: 3-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
Callie Martin: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI
Regan Nash: 2-for-3, SB

Coach Fogue's Corner

On Friday's SEC season opener…

"We struggled to come up with a clutch hit until late, as Callie (Martin) got us within one run in the sixth inning. I felt like we had momentum on our side, but credit to Tennessee for jumping on a pitching mistake and hitting that grand slam. Tennessee has some great pitchers, but I think we showed that we can be productive off of them. We still have a lot of the weekend remaining and a chance to pick up some big wins."

#MIZ Takeaways

Friday's loss ended the Tigers' season-high winning streak of six games.
Romaine had Mizzou's most productive night at the plate, as her three hits matched her 2018 season-high. The Chino Hills, California, native's two-run blast in the seventh inning marked her fourth home run of the season, matching her single-season career-high originally set in 2016.
Nash's pair or singles improved her current team-leading hitting streak to six games. It also secured her eighth multi-hit game of the year, ranking T-2nd on the team.
The Camden Point, Missouri, native's stolen base in the sixth inning gave her 10 overall this season. Nash now has 10-plus stolen bases in all three years at Mizzou.
Amanda Sanchez (21 games), Brooke Wilmes (15 games) and Nash (15 games) each extended their impressive current safely reached base streak Friday against the Volunteers.
Martin's big two-run double in the sixth inning marked her fifth double this season, ranking T-2nd on the Tigers.

Up Next

The Tigers continue their SEC-opening series at No. 4 Tennessee Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the game will broadcast live on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.

Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Softball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (University of Missouri Softball Team) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouSoftball).