No. 7 Mizzou softball used a walk-off double from freshman 2B Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) to down No. 22 Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Softball Tournament, winning 8-0 in five innings at John Cropp Stadium on Thursday in Lexington, KY. The Tigers were led offensively by junior OF Mackenzie Sykes (Blue Springs, Mo.) and sophomore 1B Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.), with Roth hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sykes batted a perfect 3-for-3 with a single, double and triple.
Watch Mizzou’s postgame press conference.
The No. 3-seeded Tigers improved to 34-10 with the win, while the sixth-seeded Razorbacks ended their conference tournament at a 34-18 overall record. Senior pitcher Chelsea Thomas (Pleasantville, Iowa), recently named the SEC Pitcher of the Year, pitched the complete game (5.0 IP), allowing just two hits, one walk and striking out five Arkansas batters. Thomas improved to 21-4 in the circle with her efforts.
Mizzou advances to the semifinals of its first SEC tournament, set to be played at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday, May 10, against No. 2 Tennessee.
Watch the highlights courtesy of the SEC.