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SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State softball moved to 23-16 (16-5 MVC) on the year after splitting Saturday’s doubleheader against Bradley (24-22, 12-11 MVC).
The Bears opened the series with a five-inning 10-1 run-rule victory, before dropping game two to the Braves in five innings, 1-9.
At the plate, Madison Hunsaker went 2-for-4 for the Bears with two doubles and four RBI, while also drawing a walk. Daphne Plummer, who started her 200th career game as a Bear, had the highest average for MSU across the day at .667 (2-for-3). Plummer also scored three runs and drew two walks.
In the circle, Steffany Dickerson picked up MSU’s win on the day, marking her 18th of the season. She allowed just one earned run in the five-inning complete-game effort, while allowing three hits and striking out five Braves.
Game 1
Missouri State 10, Bradley 1
In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader in Springfield, Bradley jumped on the board first in the third inning.
Bradley opened the third with a double, followed by a stolen base and a single to take an early 1-0 lead. The Braves had a runner on second with just one out, before Kelsie Lewis laid out to grab a line drive and tagged second to record the double play and get MSU out of the inning.
Missouri State wasted no time before responding, as the Bears put up a four-spot in the home half of the third. Plummer led off the inning with a single and stole second, before Hunsaker knocked an RBI-double to right center. Following an Alex Boze walk to put runners on first and second, Olivia Krehbiel launched her eighth home run of the season to put MSU up 4-1.
The Bears poured it on in the fourth with six runs on six hits. Following a single, walk and another single to lead off the inning, Hunsaker came up big once again, this time with a bases-clearing double to left center.
After two singles in the next three batters, the bases were loaded for Annie Mueller, who sent a missile down the left field line to clear the bases and put MSU up 10-1. The Bears finished off the Braves with a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth to secure the run-rule victory to open the series.
Game 2
Bradley 9, Missouri State 1
The second game of the day saw the tables turned in favor of the Braves as Bradley jumped out to a 2-0 in the top of the first inning via a walk, double and single.
Missouri State was held scoreless until the fourth, when the Bears cut the deficit in half following a Plummer leadoff single and a Boze RBI single.
However, the Braves opened the game up in the top of the fifth inning as they posted seven runs. Bradley managed five singles, a walk, a double and a home run to go up by eight runs after four and half innings, putting the Bears in a must score situation in the home half of the fifth.
The Bears were unable to score in the fifth, as Bradley evened up the series with a five-inning, 9-1, run-rule victory.
MSU and Bradley will face off in the rubber match of the series tomorrow at 12 p.m. in Springfield.
