NCAA BRACKET
Missouri 6, Tulsa 5
Tulsa saw its season come to an end at the NCAA Norman Regional as Missouri defeated the Golden Hurricane, 6-5, scoring the winning run in the top of the fifth after play resumed on Sunday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field.
The teams began play late Saturday night before the game was suspended, tied 5-5, heading into the top of the fourth inning due to lightning and storms in the area.
Shelby Estocado went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Golden Hurricane (34-25), while Morgan Neal and Haley Meinen also drove in runs. Meinen tossed the final four innings in relief and yielded a run on just two hits.
Meanwhile, Braxton Burnside paced the Tigers (30-28) by going 2-for-4 with a three-run homer. Lauren Rice picked up the win in relief to improve to 12-15 as she allowed two hits over five scoreless innings.
Missouri jumped out to a 5-0 lead with four runs in the top of the first and another in the third. Burnside provided the big hit in the first with a three-run homer before Amanda Sanchez's solo shot in the third.
However, Tulsa rallied with five runs in the bottom of the third to tie the score. Tori Stafford and Julia Hollingsworth worked walks around a single by Mikayla Whitten to load the bases and Stafford touched home when Neal earned TU's third free pass of the frame.
The Tigers went to the bullpen and Estocado greeted Rice with a two-RBI single up the middle. A throwing error on the play allowed another run to score, while Estocado moved to third. When the dust had settled, the Mizzou lead was down to 5-4.
Meinen capped the rally with a grounder that brought home Estocado, which knotted the score at 5-5. Shortly after the bottom of the inning ended, play was halted due to lightning in the area.
When the teams reconvened on Sunday, Meinen tossed a scoreless inning before the Tigers pulled ahead in the fifth on Brooke Wilmes' RBI single up the middle.
Estocado nearly tied the score in the bottom of the frame with a deep drive to left-center field that was caught on the warning track.
In the seventh, Tulsa put the tying run in scoring position with two outs after Julia Hollingsworth walked and reached second on a grounder. However, Rice closed out the game with a groundout to send Missouri to the regional finals.
The loss ends a season that saw the Golden Hurricane win its third-straight American Athletic Conference title. TU reached an NCAA Regional for the seventh time in the last eight seasons and won at least 30 games for the 17th consecutive campaign.
Arkansas 6, Wichita State 4
The Wichita State softball team fell 6-4 in the NCAA Regional Championship to end the season as the first Shocker softball team to make it to final game of the regional round.
The Shockers scored four runs on five hits - a two-run double by Asea Webber the offensive highlight. Caitlin Bingham pitched five innings, giving up three runs on three hits.
Bailey Lange got the offense going in the second at-bat of the game with a looping double into left field. She then stole third, her ninth stolen base of the season, with Laurie Derrico chopping a ball into left field to get her home for an early 1-0 Shocker lead.
The Razorbacks responded with three straight singles to open up their offense, the last getting a runner home. A sacrifice fly to right field followed to give them the lead. Another single and walk followed with a ground out and missed tag-out at home adding another.
Bingham replaced Lange in the circle in the second and retired three straight after allowing a base runner with a hit by pitch.
In the third the Shocker bats came alive with a Morgan Palmer chopper followed by a Mackenzie Wright walk. Derrico was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Asea Webber doubling into deep left field to get two home and giving the Shockers a 4-3 lead. The Hogs brought pitching ace Mary Haff into the game to get out of the jam.
The Shockers led off the fourth with an infield single from Bingham. A two-out walk by Lange got two on base but Haff got the final out swinging to escape any more danger.
Arkansas took the lead right back in the bottom half. A walk to the bottom of the order paved the way for batting ace Hannah McEwen to knock a two-run home run over the center field fence.
Madison Perrigan led off the fifth being hit by a pitch, Buck followed suit with Luellen drawing a walk to load the bases but Haff got the last two in order to escape once again.
In front of the third largest home crowd in Arkansas history, (2,142 fans) the Razorbacks sat down the Shockers in order over the final two innings to advance to their first NCAA Super Regional in school history.
The Shockers wrap up the season with a 32-23 record, appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history and second time under head coach Kristi Bredbenner.
Wright and Luellen finish their Wichita State careers in multiple top-10 categories in the history books with Luellen first in career RBI and walks. She is also third in home runs and fourth in on base percentage. Wright wraps up her career tied for second in stolen bases and has the third highest on base percentage and third most hits. Defensively, she has the fourth-most assists in program history.