Mizzou softball kicked off its 2026 season with its annual Black & Gold scrimmage at Devine Pavilion in Columbia. The Black team topped the Gold team 12-9 in the intrasquad matchup.

The Tigers concluded its 2025 season with a record of 25-31 overall and 6-18 conference record. With seven new freshmen and two key transfers, Missouri softball has a lot of new blood as they aim for a successful season.

The Gold team started the scrimmage with a homerun from freshman first baseman Sidney Forrester to kick off the scoring.

Black team took the lead 2-1 in the second inning with a homer from freshman catcher/infielder Gracie Britton.

In the bottom of the third senior outfielder and East Carolina transfer Emma Jackson singled to bring home senior fielder Kayley Lenger for the Gold team to tie the score 2-2.

The Black team retook the lead after a series of hits stolen bases in the bottom of the fourth to build an 8-2 lead.

The Gold team then made a comeback in the fifth as junior infielder Adi Koller and outfielder Danielle Blackstun along with freshman third baseman Saniya Hill and freshman pitcher/designated player Abby Carr all scored to bring the deficit within one. Freshman outfielder Linny Ramsey capped the scoring streak with a home run, taking the lead at 9-8.

Freshman infielders Avery Adcock and Britton scored to take back the lead for the Black team at 10–9. The team scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, winning the scrimmage 12-9.

Hill and Forrester each scored two runs for the Gold team. Third baseman Addy Waits and Britton both brought in three runs  for the Black team.

The combined 21 runs was a strong sign for a Mizzou team which struggled to score during SEC play in 2025.

“We know our potential and we’ve spent a lot of time on controlling the strike zone,” head coach Larissa Anderson said after the scrimmage. “Every individual player knows what pitches they can handle and what they’re trying to eliminate.”

Senior pitcher Cierra Harrison was the top pitcher for the Gold team, as the opposing offense scored only two runs with three hits. Carr impressed for the Black team in her first inning, allowing just one run.

The Tigers open their against Penn State at 9 a.m. Friday in Clearwater, Fla. as the first of five games in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic.