COLUMBIA, S.C. - The long ball has put the Missouri softball team in position to open Southeastern Conference play with a sweep after taking the first two games of their series with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The power show started for the Tigers on Saturday, as a two-run home run by Kirsten Mack in the fifth inning was the difference in a 4-2 Missouri win.
The blast broke a 2-all tie and came after a two-out hit by Corrin Genovese kept the inning alive.
Missouri got a two-out, RBI single by Kelsea Roth in the top of the second to go up 1-0, then added a run in the third on a similar hit by Genovese, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI on the day.
The Gamecocks tied it in the bottom of the third before Mack's heroics won it.
Paige Lowary improved to 7-0 on the season by throwing a four-hitter. She allowed two unearned runs - both scoring due a catcher's interference call in the third - while walking two and striking out five.
Then on Sunday, the Tigers got a first-inning grand slam from Amanda Sanchez that provided all the runs they would need in a 9-3 win.
Each team scored a run in the third, each got two in the sixth, and Missouri picked up two in the seventh to account for the rest of the scoring.
Missouri, which had a 12-5 edge in hits, provided the Tigers' third-inning run with a solo homer.
Sami Faggan ended up with three hits and two RBI, Emily Crane had two hits and two RBI and Genovese went 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Tori Finucane pitched five strong innings to improve to 4-3 on the year. She allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks, strikingout four. Cheyenne Baxter finished up and allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings. She struck out three.
Missouri (12-3 overall, 2-0 SEC) and South Carolina (17-7, 0-2) will finish their series with a single game starting at 6 p.m. today.