Mizzou drops NCAA Columbia Regional opener to Omaha

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Softball's quiet night at the plate doomed the Tigers in its first game of the NCAA Columbia Regional. The Tigers posted just four hits as a team, leading to a 3-1 loss in an extra-inning thriller against Omaha.

You can watch the full postgame press conference with Mizzou head coach Larissa Anderson and first baseman Abby Hay in the video player below.

The Mavericks applied pressure on Mizzou early in the game. Sydney Thomason hit a solo home run with two outs in the opening frame to give the Mavericks a 1-0 advantage. Then, Kamryn Meyer held the Tigers hitless through the first two frames to preserve that one-run lead.

You can watch the full postgame press conference with Omaha head coach Mike Heard and players in the video player below.

Cierra Harrison settled down in the circle after allowing that solo home run, tossing three scoreless frames after the first inning and striking out four batters in that time frame. MU had a few good opportunities during that span to erase its one-run deficit but could not capitalize. In both the third and fourth innings, the Tigers put runners on first and second base with no outs but were unable to put a run on the scoreboard in those frames.

Marissa McCann relieved Harrison in the fifth frame and kept Omaha's offense quiet for the rest of regulation, keeping the Mavericks from extending their lead without allowing a hit until after the seventh inning.

The MU pitching staff gave the Tigers a chance to post a comeback in regulation, and Mizzou's offense finally broke through in the bottom half of the sixth inning. After back-to-back singles from Rock Bridge graduate Abby Hay and Julia Crenshaw gave Larissa Anderson's crew runners on the corners with no outs, Jefferson City alum Kara Daly tied the game on a sacrifice fly, helping the Tigers force extra innings.

However, Mizzou's offense fell silent after Daly's game-tying sacrifice fly, giving Omaha the opportunity to blast a go-ahead two-run home run off the bat of Ava Rongisch in the ninth inning and allowing Meyer to complete a nine-inning, one-run effort in the circle.

Up next - MU will aim to stay alive in the NCAA Columbia Regional against Indiana on Saturday, May 18 at 4:30 p.m.