Welcome! I’m making this a one stop shop for a mini SLU preview, a game thread, and a recap with some quotes afterwards. Sound good? Let’s get started.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 27 at 4pm

WHERE: Mizzou Softball Stadium, Columbia, Mo.

TV/STREAMING: SEC+

STATS: Live on StatBroadcast (just scroll down to the event)

HISTORY: Mizzou leads the series all-time 64-3.

Missouri Tigers

2021 RECORD: 42-17 (ranked #8 nationally)

2022 RECORD: 28-17 (8-9 in SEC)

PROJECTED CONFERENCE FINISH: 5th in SEC

RANKING: #25 (ESPN.com/USA Softball), #26 (USA Today/NFCA), NR (D1 Softball), NR (Softball America), , #23 (current RPI)

LAST 7 GAMES: @ #9/12 Kentucky (W 9-1, 5in | W 8-7 | W 13-0, 5 in), #14/13 Georgia (L 3-1 | W 6-2 | L 4-3)

Let’s go mildly in-depth on the Bills, shall we?

Saint Louis University Billikens

2021 RECORD: 19-27 (10-12 in A10, 6th place)

2022 RECORD: 20-21 (12-5 in A10, currently 2nd place)

LAST 4 GAMES: @St. Bonaventure (W 9-1 in 6in | W 6-1 | W 3-0), Louisiana (L 19-0, 5in)

PROJECTED CONFERENCE FINISH: 7th in Atlantic 10

RANKING: #156 (current RPI)

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

• Gabbie Kowalik (no relation to Kayla from UK): .398 BA | 1.289 OPS | 35 R | 47 H | 10 HR | 36 RBI | .814 SLG%
• Kat Lane: .372 BA | .896 OPS | 41 R | 55 H | 6 RBI | 21 BB | .446 SLG% | 13-18 SB-ATT
• Sadie Wise: .358 BA | 1.035 OPS | 31 R | 53 H | 6 HR | 36 RBI | .608 SLG% | 16 BB
• Chloe Wendling, SP: 3.83 ERA | 1.44 WHIP | 9-8 | 8 CG | 2 SHO | 115 IP | 133 H | 63 ER | 33 BB | 65 K | 35 XBH | 12 HR | .284 Opp BA
• Aubrey Hacke, SP: 3.95 ERA | 1.57 WHIP | 7-10 | 6 CG | 1 SHO | 101 IP | 127 H | 57 ER | 32 BB | 67 K | 29 XBH | 13 HR | .311 Opp BA

OVERALL TEAM COMPARISONS:

Today’s Lineup:

FIRST INNING

T1: three-up, three-down for Schumacher to start things off, including two ground outs and a strikeout

B1: Laird grounds out, and both Wilmes and Bailey fly out

SECOND INNING

T2: Schu allows a walk, but a nice double play by Laird and Bailey end the inning.

B2: Wert lines out to right. Casidy is on first with a hard-hit grounder to left. Honnold and Daly both ground out.

THIRD INNING

T3: The leadoff batter is aboard after the ball appears to hit 2B Kendyll Bailey. Kara Daly makes a nice play for the first out, and two ground outs end the inning. 0-0

B3: The Emma Raabe hit spree continues, and the Tigers are on the board with a deep shot to left. It’s 1-0 Tigers. Moore grounds out, and Laird singles and Brooke Wilmes launches a 2-run shot to right. It’s 3-0 now. Brooke, as Paul tells us, is now Mizzou’s all-time XBH leader. The inning ends on a line out by Kendyll Bailey (great diving play by SLU’s Natalie Sullivan) and a ground out by Wert.

FOURTH INNING

T4: Gabbie Kowalik (no relation that we are away of to Tiger killer Kayla Kowalik at UK), grounds out. Consecutive singles put runners on first and second for SLU. Casidy isn’t able to make a grab on a play to deep left over her head, and SLU scores. It’s 3-1. Schu gets out of the inning on an out at home and a strikeout (no. 2)

B4: Casidy is on base for the second time today with a single to LF. After Honnold grounds out, Daly singles through the left side. Raabe flies out, and Daly steals second (there’s a lot happening here). CC scores on an error. Hatti triples to RF, and Laird singles. it’s 6-1.

FIFTH INNING

T5: SLU is on base with a leadoff walk, and advances to 2B on a wild pitch. A single to short — well played by Jenna — is not in time, and the Bills have runners on 1B & 3B with one out. A Daly error loads the bases for Gabbie Kowalik, and then an error by Schu makes it 6-2. My mouth is agape. Honnold fired a strike to home from deep right field to get the lead runner out. Another play at home gets the second out of the inning, though Schu slightly bobbles that one as well. However, the inning isn’t over, not by a long shot. With the bases still loaded — they’ve been loaded approximately 500 years now — a walk brings a run home. The third out FINALLY comes on a soft hit to Schu, who takes the out at first. It’s 6-3 still, Mizzou.

B5: Kendyll Bailey hits a ball to the left center warning track and is on second, and it’s KIM WERT TIME! Her two-run shot makes it 8-3 Mizzou. Three flyouts end the inning after Taylor Hochman is brought in to pitch.

SIXTH INNING

T6: Laurin Krings is in to pitch, and strikes out first two batters, and ends the inning with a groundout to first.

B6: Raabe flies out to right, and Moore grounds out. Wilmes smashes a liner to deep right, and scores Jenna Laird. It’s 9-3. Bailey walks and Wert flies out to end the inning.

SEVENTH INNING

T7: Specs allows a walk to lead off the inning. Riley Frizell is in at first and Megan Moll takes over at third. Hatti catches the lead runner stealing, and the last two runners are out via strikeout and pop up.

TIGERS WIN, 9-3. M-I-Z.

Check out the recap in the morning