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"I know it’s going to hard for those players to swallow that." Mizzou's softball season ends

Here are today's Mizzou Links. I hope you all have a great Memorial Day.

By Bill Connelly

Mizzou Tigers pennant What's On

A tough way to finish.

The first and last innings of the series: Michigan 7, Missouri 0
In between: Missouri 7, Michigan 3

ESPNW: Dramatic seventh-inning rally means Oklahoma City for Michigan, uncertainty for Missouri (highlights here)

Had Missouri gone to yet another World Series under Earleywine, surely it would have been more difficult [for Mack Rhoades] to fire him, barring more damning evidence of wrongdoing than is currently known publicly.

"I don't know if 'fair' is the right word," Earleywine said when asked if the school had treated him fairly through this process. "Maybe different [is the right word]. Maybe if things were handled differently. I don't think unfairly is necessarily the right word but maybe just differently. But at the end of the day, they had accusations that they had to investigate, and as I've said before, I know there are things I can do to be better. ...

"They're administrators, and I'm a coach. And that'd be like them telling me I should have bunted in the fifth inning. That's their game, and I trust that their wisdom, their experience is far better than mine in that regard. So I have to go with the fact that they handled it right, just like they have to go with the fact that I coached this game right. That's their forte, this is my forte.

"So my opinion doesn't really matter as far as how the administration handled it."

MUtigers.com: Late #2 Michigan Rally Ends #15 @MizzouSoftball Season

The Trib: MU softball team's season ends in heartbreaking fashion

Afterward, Pierce and Earleywine were left hurting for the team’s three seniors.

"I wish it wouldn’t have gone down like that" in the seventh, "but I’ve been around the game long enough to know that the best team wins," Earleywine said. "So however it was supposed to play out or however it did play out, for me, it doesn’t make a big difference, but I know it’s going to hard for those players to swallow that."

Earleywine, who is 453-154 during his 10 seasons at MU, now will wait his fate. He is the subject of an ongoing university investigation.

"I’m just staying optimistic," said Earleywine, who said he doesn’t know when the investigation will conclude. "I was getting ready to say, ‘and coach my team,’ but the season is over, so I’ll go recruit."

Post-Dispatch: Mizzou softball falls apart as Michigan sweeps super regional

KC Star: Mizzou’s season ends as Michigan rallies to 5-4 victory in softball super regional

PowerMizzou: Diamond decisions

And now we wait.

Mizzou Tigers pennant Positive vibes, man

Scout.com: A lighter Sheldon Richardson is focused on "positive vibes"

Mizzou Tigers pennant 14 seems like a lot

MUtigers.com: @MIZ_TrackField Qualifies 14 Into the NCAA Championships

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