COLUMBIA, Missouri. (WOWT) – Omaha softball’s historic NCAA tournament run came to an end Sunday after two losses to regional hosts Missouri. The Mavericks entered the first regional final undefeated on the weekend, having defeated Mizzou on Friday and Washington on Saturday.

UNO all-time leader in strikeouts Kamryn Meyer started in the circle for Omaha for her third game in three days. The Mavericks took the lead in the bottom of the sixth after an overthrow to third by Missouri sent Marra Cramer home for the first run of the game.

With their season on the line, the Tigers surged back in the top of the seventh. Shortstop Jenna Laird grounded out but sent the tying run home. Missouri immediately followed up with a two-run home run off the bat of Alex Honnold. Missouri plated two more in the frame and went on to win the game, 5-1, forcing a winner-take-all game two.

Elkhorn native Sydney Nuismer stepped into the circle for Omaha with the program’s first-ever trip to a super regional on the line. The senior tossed eight scoreless innings with the Mavs’ dominant defense backing her up. Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, the game still scoreless, Missouri’s Madison Walker made contact and sent Honnold home from third to walk it off, 1-0.

UNO finished the program’s most successful season of the Division I era with an overall record of 43-15. The Mavs’ two NCAA Tournament wins in Columbia were also a program best.

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They took the long way round, but the Tigers are competing for the regional championship.

Missouri softball survived two elimination games in the NCAA Columbia Regional on Saturday, and now faces Omaha — the undefeated regional four-seed — on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Softball Stadium for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional round.

Mizzou (45-16), the No. 7 national seed, lost in its regional opener to Omaha (43-13) on Friday evening. The Mavericks followed up that upset win by taking down Washington in the winners bracket Saturday afternoon.

That means MU, which eliminated Indiana and Washington in succession to keep its season alive, must beat Omaha twice Sunday to advance.

More: ‘Gutsy’ Missouri softball survives two elimination games in regional. How the Tigers dug deep

Mizzou last advanced to an NCAA Super Regional in 2021, when the Tigers fell to James Madison. Missouri has fallen in the regional round in every other full season of coach Larissa Anderson’s tenure, which began in 2019.

You can find live score updates from Missouri’s regional final against the Mavericks here:

More: Missouri softball: Complete schedule for NCAA Columbia Regional

What channel is Missouri softball vs. Omaha softball on today?

• Stream: ESPN+ | ESPN app
• Date: Sunday, May 19
• Time: First game: 1 p.m. CT; Second game, if necessary: 3:30 p.m.

ESPN+ will have the exclusive stream of the Tigers and Mavericks’ title bout.

Full NCAA Columbia Regional softball schedule

Friday, May 17

Game 1: Washington 8, Indiana 7

Game 2: Omaha 3, Missouri 1

Saturday, May 18

Game 3: Omaha 3, Washington 2

Game 4: Missouri 5, Indiana 1

Game 5: Missouri 4, Washington 1

Sunday, May 19

Game 6: Omaha vs. Missouri at 1 p.m.

Game 7: If necessary at 3:30 p.m.

Live score updates for Missouri vs. Omaha in NCAA Columbia Regional championship

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – It’s National Safe Boating Week, and it’s important to make sure your boat is functional, and you’re aware of safety tips before you hit the water for the summer.

With the holiday weekend quickly approaching, many will want to take their boat out on the lake. Still, it’s important to check and make sure you have everything on board you need, starting with life jackets.

“You want to check your life jackets to make sure that they’re still operable, they’re still in good condition, they’ve not decayed over the year, and it’s a good time to get those replaced with new ones. Also, make sure that the sizes of the life jackets that you have are also adequate for the persons that you’re going to have on the boat,” said Sergeant Michael McClure with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D.

Fire extinguishers are another important thing to check. You want to make sure those are up-to-date and functional.

“You’ve had a lot of time for during the fall and winter for dirt dobbers and other insects to build nests inside the nozzle of fire extinguishers. So, just double-check those out. While you’re checking for proper charging and the date of expiration on your fire extinguishers, if you have a boat that’s gas-operated,” said Sgt. McClure.

You also want to make sure your boat is in operable condition before taking it out for the holiday.

“Make sure that everything from the hole doesn’t leak, bringing water in causing maybe swamping or submerging, to making sure that the motor is operable, and the equipment that’s inside the engine compartment itself, because it is a motor vehicle engine adapted for marine use. So there’s some things in there that need to be looked at before you take it out on the water,” said Sgt. McClure.

If you want your boat inspected by a highway patrolman, Sgt. McClure says you can wave one down at the lake. They’ll do a courtesy inspection for you.

Aside from being safe before hitting the water, you also want to be safe on the lake. Lakes and waterways are bound to be busy with the warm weather, so show common courtesy and go slow and pay attention.

“Just be patient, take your time. Always be on the lookout when you’re approaching docked areas or marinas that may or may not have buoys out there that tell you how far that you are from that. Just watch your wake. In other words, slow down, as slow as possible and still having forward momentum on the boat, you’re not going to leave a damaging wake, particularly those that have larger ski boats or larger boats in general can leave a wake that can damage structure and it can also toss people off,” said Sgt. McClure.

If you’re towing someone or something behind your boat, like a tube or water skis, make sure you have a flag on board to let people know when someone’s fallen off. If you’re boating, make sure you’re watching for people in the water.

“Just be cognizant of that possibility that somebody has fallen from an inner tube or other waterborne device and you’re looking out for that. So keeping your head on a swivel is always a good thing, and looking for those flags, even though a flag may not be in place, be looking for those persons outside the vessel,” said Sgt. McClure.

Remember, operate sober as well. Always have a plan and a sober driver in place.

“We may minimize the effects of drinking and driving a vessel compared to driving a vehicle but it’s it’s just as dangerous, if not more so, because there’s no lanes of traffic on the waterway. So it’s just important to include safety in your plans for the weekend. And designate that sober operator before we ever get on the water,” said Sgt. McClure.

If you run into any issues on the water, you can dial *55 to get to the Highway Patrol non-emergency line and ask for help.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com

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