COLUMBIA - The Missouri softball team closed out the regular season on a high note Sunday, beating Florida, the nation's top-ranked team, by a 3-2 score in eight innings.
The win helped put a positive spin on the series for the Tigers after suffering a 7-6 loss to the Gators on Friday and a 9-6 defeat on Saturday.
On Sunday, Missouri got a pitching gem from Paige Lowary, who improved to 18-4 on the season with a complete-game three-hitter. She gave up two earned runs in the fourth inning and worked around four walks while striking out seven.
Sami Fagan led off the eighth with a single and got sacrificed to second before a pair of intentional walks loaded the bases. Kelsea Roth then lifted a fly ball to right that was deep enough to score Fagan with the winning run.
Fagan ended up with three hits and two RBI. Emily Crane had a pair of hits and Roth had one hit and one RBI.
On Friday, four home runs wasn't enough for Missouri as it fell by a 7-6 score.
Amanda Sanchez had two of those home runs, driving in three runs on the day, with her second one giving Missouri 67 on the season, tied for second in school history for homers in a season. Crane and Morgan Walters added solo homers.
Crane ended up with two hits and one RBI for Missouri, which got outhit 11-8.
Tori Finucane took the loss in relief of Lowary. Finucane worked the final 12/3 innings and gave up one unearned run on no hits and no walks. The Gators scored the winning run in the top of the seventh on a hit by pitch, a sacrifice, an error and a sacrifice fly. Finucane had a pair of strikeouts.
Lowary gave up six earned runs on 11 hits and four walks while striking out three in 51/3 innings.
On Saturday, Missouri fell behind 9-1 before eventually settling for a 9-6 loss.
Sanchez had another homer in the game, as she went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Fagan chipped in with two hits.
Finucane (18-8) took the loss after working the first five innings. She allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks while striking out five.
Cheyenne Baxter finished up, allowing two earned runs on two hits and five walks in two innings. She struck out one.
Missouri is 38-13 overall and 14-10 in the Southeastern Conference, while Florida falls to 49-5 and 18-5.
Missouri is the seventh seed for the upcoming SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday against 10th-seeded Mississippi State.