Mizzou softball bounces back with a win over Indiana in NCAA regional in Columbia

With the season on the line for Missouri softball, senior Laurin Krings and the Tigers bounced back with a win on Saturday after a heartbreaking extra-innings upset to Omaha the night before.

Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Indiana kept the Tigers alive in the NCAA softball regional in Columbia.

Quiet bats were the culprit in Friday’s loss.

But the Tigers put up five runs against the Hoosiers (40-18) as Krings pitched 6.1 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with two punchouts.

The Tigers got going early on when senior Jenna Laird’s led off the first inning with a double. After a walk and error from Indiana starter Brianna Copeland, Laird found her way home for an early Mizzou lead. The Tigers tacked on one more run in the inning.

Copeland managed to get through just 1.2 innings. She surrendering three hits with one walk and one earned run. Sophomore righty Sophie Kleiman entered in relief for Indian and went five innings while surrendering five hits, three earned runs and a bases-loaded walk that gave the Tigers some additional insurance.

It seemed Mizzou had an opportunity for more insurance, with junior Julia Crenshaw racing home off a Kleiman wild pitch, but it was ruled obstruction. A lengthy discussion followed, and what had been a controversial call was ultimately upheld.

Luckily for the Tigers, though, two runs were easily uncontested in the bottom of the sixth with Laird scoring on a fielder’s choice and the hometown freshman Abby Hay’s RBI single that scored senior Alex Honnold.

Krings faltered a bit in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving up a solo shot to junior Sarah Stone and single to sophomore Avery Parker. Mizzou sophomore Taylor Pannell entered to close out for the Tigers. The Lee’s Summit native collected back-to-back strikeouts to keep Mizzou’s season alive.

The next challenge for the Tigers will be Washington (32-14). The No. 2-seed Huskies lost to Omaha earlier Saturday in a 3-2 finish as the Mavericks continue to roll their way into the program’s first-ever regional final. First pitch will be later Saturday evening.