Arkansas softball drops its first SEC Tournament game

The Hogs went home early from the SEC tournament after suffering a 3-1 loss to fifth-seed Missouri.

The tournament has been anything but normal. On the second day of the tournament, two games went into the 14th inning, twice as many innings as a regulation game. The following day, the weather delayed the start of the day. Originally, four games were scheduled to be played, but the first game was postponed for seven hours.

Consequently, Arkansa's first pitch didn't happen until after 8 pm CST. The Razorbacks gave up a run in the first but held the Tigers scoreless through the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, third baseman Hannah Gammill evened the game with a solo shot to center field.

Missouri answered in the fifth with consecutive hits. The second of which was an RBI double by Jenna Laird. After the next at-bat, the game was delayed and then postponed until the next day due to the weather again. The game resumed on Friday with runners on the corners and zero outs for Mizzou.

The Razorbacks got out of the situation with only slightly more damage after biting on a double steal. Arkansas looked like it was going to answer again in the sixth. The Hogs loaded the bases with zero outs but followed up with three consecutive outs. Arkansas's batters were retired in order in the seventh, and Missouri moved on to the next game. 

Arkansas will still have a chance to host a regional with its season record, but bowing out early in the SEC Tournament and its series loss to Ole Miss to finish the season could play a factor. The NCAA Tournament will be revealed tomorrow, May 12 at 6 PM. Regionals will begin on May 16.