Mizzou tops No. 6 Arkansas in Game 3 thanks to Cierra Harrison, Sidney Forrester

In what felt like a win-or-go-home situation for Mizzou Softball, the Tigers got the job done against No. 6 Arkansas thanks to a three-run homer from Sidney Forrester and a masterclass pitching performance by Cierra Harrison in relief to close out a 3-1 Mizzou win on Sunday at Bogle Park.

While the Game 3 result in Fayetteville technically wasn’t a win-or-go-home situation for the Tigers, if they would’ve lost, then they would’ve potentially had to sweep their final SEC series against an opponent that doesn’t drop many series: No. 9 Tennessee. So no, it wasn’t by definition a win-or-go-home game, but the win puts Mizzou in a much better situation as it looks to achieve the .500 win percentage required to maintain postseason eligibility.

Mizzou didn’t start the game hot offensively, only registering one hit through the first three innings on a Saniya Hill double in the second. Hill was the only Tiger to end the game with two hits, and has been a true bright spot this weekend. The bats got hot in the fourth, however, in what turned out to be a pretty important half inning for the Tigers when you think about how close they are to being in or out of the NCAA tournament picture. Stefania Abruscato led off the inning with a hit by pitch, then Abby Hay hit a single up the center to put two Mizzou runners on base. Then this happened:

Big time home run from freshman Sidney Forrester to put #Mizzou ahead of Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/6tBY17jHpK

— True Deck (@ByTrueDeck) April 26, 2026

The home run marked the freshman’s 10th of the season. The only other player on the team at the double-digit mark is fellow freshman, Abby Carr. Safe to say the future is bright for Mizzou.

The Razorbacks got off to a hot start when Ella McDowell hit a double to right-center field to score Brinli Bain off of starter Marissa McCann. Despite the slow start for the Tigers, they didn’t let it get to their head, refusing to allow any other runs for the rest of the game.

Harrison came off the bench in a relief role, something she doesn’t usually do, to replace Marissa McCann after just 2.1 frames. McCann struggled to find the batters box, finishing her couple-inning stint with three hits, four walks and the lone earned run while failing to strikeout a single Razorback. Harrison, on the other hand, was strong for the second day in a row. The senior finished the game with zero runs allowed, three strikeouts and three hits through 4.2 innings. She capped off her strong performance with a cherry on top in the seventh.