Mizzou Tigers softball rides shutout, 3 solo homers into program’s 2nd league-title game

For just the second time in program history, the Missouri Tigers softball team is going to play for a conference tournament championship.

The Tigers punched their ticket to the Southeastern Conference final on Friday with a 3-0 victory over Tennessee that also outlasted a lengthy lightning delay at KSP Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Seventh-seeded Mizzou will face top-seeded Arkansas, a 4-1 winner over Florida later Friday night, for the championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. Central Time on ESPN2.

Friday’s shutout came a day after MU dispatched Alabama by the same score to reach the tournament semifinals, and two days after the Tigers’ tourney-opening 1-0 victory over Auburn.

It was the Tigers’ second upset of a top-10 opponent in as many days.

Lee’s Summit West High product Jordan Weber went the distance in the circle on Friday to earn the pitching decision for Mizzou (36-19). She scattered six hits across seven innings, striking out one and walking none.

All three Missouri runs came via solo homers off Vols starting pitcher Erin Edmoundson: infielder Kimberly Wert got it started in the fourth, catcher Hatti Moore followed in the fifth — the ball landed in a palm tree — and infielder Kara Daly parked Mizzou’s final run over the fence in the seventh.

Edmoundson struck out six for Tennessee (39-16), which was nonetheless shut out for just the second time this year.

Also on Friday, four Tigers were named to the All-SEC teams. Wert and Brooke Wilmes were each selected to the first team; Jenna Laird earned a spot on the second team and left fielder Casidy Chaumont made the All-SEC Defensive Team.

The NCAA Tournament selection show is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 7:59 PM.