Like most of No. 13/15 Missouri softball's bats on Sunday, Abby Hay's was ice cold for most of the afternoon.
But amidst yet another deadlocked slugfest in the Columbia out east, one hit could've easily changed the game...and that's exactly what happened.
In Missouri's longest game of the year, Hay cranked a two-strike, two-outs, three-run home run in the top of the 10th. Taylor Pannell picked up her 13th save of the season in the bottom half of the inning, pushing the Tigers to their first SEC series sweep of the season over South Carolina by a final score of 5-2.
Missouri's only other runs came courtesy of Kara Daly, who ripped a two-run shot in the top of the fifth. The Tigers batted just 6 of 37 with 10 strikeouts, and they didn't get a runner standing on third base until the top of the 10th. However, the output ended up being enough, as a team effort on the mound kept MU in the game despite another lackluster offensive effort.
Laurin Krings only allowed one run in four innings of work; she was followed by Lily Whitten, who gave up a run and two hits in one and one-thirds innings. Marissa McCann then recorded two more outs before being relieved by Taylor Pannell, who pitched a one-hitter in four innings to mark her longest start of the season.
Sunday's victory wasn't just Missouri's first SEC series sweep of the season; it was the first time the Tigers had taken the third game in an SEC series. They were previously 0-7 in such contests.
With No. 12 Georgia falling to No. 19/20 Mississippi State on Sunday, Missouri's win locked them into the No. 5 seed in this week's SEC Tournament. The Tigers will face the winner of No. 12 Kentucky-No. 13 Ole Miss on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CST.
More must-reads: