No. 15 Mizzou secures series-clinching win over No. 2 LSU
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The No. 15 Tiger softball team completed a big upset at the Mizzou Softball Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The MU defense and pitching staff helped lift the team to a 3-2 win over No. 2 LSU, which clinched the overall series win.
Saturday's victory comes on the heels of an offensive outburst on Friday night, when head coach Larissa Anderson and company captured a 10-9 win over the Baton Rouge Tigers. Saturday's game was a much different performance, but resulted in a win, nonetheless.
"I still don't think we're playing our best softball right now and we're winning. That's exciting," Anderson said. "We're gonna find a way to piece it together and it's gonna be whatever it takes. That's something that we say all the time, like just do whatever it takes. If it takes defensive plays like we did today or if it takes hitting the ball like we did [Friday]. I mean, whatever it takes to be able to come away with a win."
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Anderson in the video player below.
Mizzou's three runs come off of the bats of Jenna Laird, Julia Crenshaw and Maddie Gallagher, however, the defense was really the star of the game.
The Tiger outfield proved it was a no fly zone for LSU, which is one of the top offenses in the country. Outfielders Alex Honnold, Chantice Phillips and Kayley Lenger were set on bouncing back from a rough series at Tennessee, just one weekend prior.
"Alex [Honnold] said it in the first inning when we went out there, she said 'let's have a great day outfield,' and I think we did," Lenger said. "We just kind of attacked and every ball that was out there was caught, so it's a good day for outfield."
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Lenger in the video player below.
It was a good day for the pitching staff, as well. For the second-straight day true freshman Marissa McCann came in in relief and managed to shut down the LSU bats. After sophomore Cierra Harrison let up two solo home runs in the first couple of innings, McCann took the reigns and pitched four innings of shutout softball.
Sophomore Taylor Pannell, once again, got the call to close out Saturday's game. She finished with one strikeout in the seventh inning to secure her sixth save of the season. She now leads the SEC in saves.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with both McCann and Pannell in the video players below.
Up next - Mizzou will look to sweep No. 2 LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m.
