Missouri softball faces elimination game after falling in its opener of NCAA tourney

It’s down to win or go home for the Missouri softball team.

The Tigers, the No. 2 seed in the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament, fell to No. 3 seed Wisconsin 7-2 on Friday night in Eugene, Ore.

The regional is a double-elimination format, and Missouri will play again on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in an elimination game. The Tigers will face the loser of Friday night’s late game between top-seeded host Oregon and Illinois-Chicago, the No. 4 seed in the region.

If Missouri wins that game Saturday it will play again in the following game with a scheduled 9 p.m. start.

Friday’s game against Wisconsin was tied 2-2, but the Badgers got to Tigers starting pitcher Cheyenne Baxter in the fifth inning when Wisconsin put together three runs.

Baxter was pulled in the fifth after giving up the five runs in her 4 2/3 innings of work. Three of the runs were earned. Baxter surrendered four hits, struck out two and walked two.

Wisconsin added two more runs in the top of the seventh on a pair of doubles off MU pitcher Parker Conrad.

The Tigers managed three hits in the game off Wisconsin’s Kaitlyn Menz, who went the distance for the Badgers. Missouri got singles from Regan Nash (who scored the game’s first run in the first inning), Kayla Kessinger and Natalie Fleming.

Missouri is 29-27 on the season.

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 10:16 PM.