Mizzou softball falls short of upset over No. 8 Florida in heartbreaking fashion

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou softball team could not have lost to No. 8 Florida in a more gut-wrenching way, on Sunday, as the Tigers had a massive upset within their reach in Gainesville. The Gators topped the Tigers 4-3 in 11 innings, thanks to a walk-off RBI single from a familiar face.

After falling into a two-run hole through the first couple of frames, the Tiger bats got going in a big way in the third inning. Senior Kayley Lenger got the scoring started with a solo shot into left field, cutting the deficit to just two runs. However, her team was far from done in the scoring department. True freshman Sidney Forrester and Rock Bridge alum Abby Hay each knocked out a solo home run of their own to take a 3-2 lead.

Although senior Cierra Harrison got the start, going 4.0 innings and yielding two unearned runs, it was true freshman pitcher Abby Carr, who took command in the circle in the most critical part of the action.

Just three pitches into the seventh inning, the Wildwood, Missouri native allowed Gator star Jocelyn Erickson to tie up the game with a leadoff home run. However, Carr stayed composed and got her team out of the inning, sending the game to extras with one of her two strikeouts on the night.

Both offenses went cold in extra innings, until former Tiger Madison Walker delivered a heartbreaking blow to her old team. The junior walked it off on an RBI single to left field to drop Mizzou to 7-15 on he season and 0-3 in extra innings match ups.

Up next - Mizzou will wrap up its SEC opening series against No. 8 Florida with one more game on Monday at 6 p.m. CT.