COLUMBIA - The Missouri softball team entered Saturday's game on its first two-game losing streak of the season. The Tigers didn't let it reach three, and now they're on a winning streak.
No. 15 Missouri overcame a three-run deficit to beat No. 16 Tennessee 5-4 on Saturday, then posted a 7-3 win Sunday to take two out of three in the series.
In the first inning Saturday, Emily Crane sent a homer over the wall in center field to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
But in their next trip to the plate, the Volunteers surged ahead, scoring one on an Aubrey Leach single and three on a Megan Geer double to go up 4-1.
The lead held until the bottom of the third, when Crane homered again, this time with Regan Nash on base. It was her 10th home run of the season and 20th of her career. Then in the sixth, Chase Nelson singled to plate Kirsten Mack for the final runs of the game.
Paige Lowary started for the Tigers but pitched just 11/3 innings. She struck out two and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and a walk.
Tori Finucane then threw 32/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out seven, walking three and allowing one hit. Danielle Baumgartner (11-2) picked up the win, pitching two innings of one-hit ball.
On Sunday, both teams scored two in the first before Missouri added two-run innings in both the second and fourth to go ahead 6-2. Both team scored a single run in the sixth.
Missouri got outhit 9-8 in the contest, but the Tigers took advantage of the long ball and a key baserunning play for its final three runs. Both the runs in the fourth came on solo homers - by Sami Fagan and Chloe Rathburn - while the run in the sixth came when Crane stole home as Fagan was thrown out at second on the front end of the double steal.
Fagan ended up with three hits and two RBI, while Crane had one hit and two RBI. Paige Bange (Helias High School) had a pinch-hit single in the third inning for the Tigers.
Lowary (14-4) got the win by working the first six innings. She scattered nine hits while allowing three runs (two earned). She walked five and struck out six.
Finucane got her second save of the season by pitching a hitless final frame. She walked one and struck out two.
Missouri is now 26-7 overall and 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee is 27-10 and 7-5.
The Tigers will host a three-game series with No. 9 Georgia starting Friday. The opening game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start.