Bears Come from Behind, Top First-Place Salukis

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri State softball (14-28, 10-11 MVC) completed the comeback effort here on Wednesday night, defeating Southern Illinois (33-9, 17-4 MVC) on the road, 4-2. 
 
The midweek matchup was the definition of a pitcher’s duel with neither team scoring through the first four innings. Early in the game, the Salukis had their chances offensively, but Gracie Johnston and the Bears defense stranded five runners across the first two innings.
 
SIU broke the stalemate in the bottom of the fifth inning with a leadoff home run, before tacking on another run following the sequence of a walk, a single, an MSU error and an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead. 
 
As the scoreboard flipped to the sixth inning, the Bears stole the momentum right back. After a strikeout to begin the inning, Chloe Merced and Kayla Ulrich knocked back-to-back singles to give the Bears their best scoring opportunity of the evening. On cue, Annie Mueller strolled to the plate and launched a three-run homer over the wall in left center field to give the Bears a 3-2 lead. 
 
The Salukis tried to put a rally together, getting the leadoff batter on base in the bottom of the sixth. Following a fly out and a walk to put two runners on with one out, Emily Chadwick caught a ball on the warning track and then let it fly, connecting with Olivia Krehbiel at third base to gun down the runner trying to tag up and ending the inning with the double play. 
 
All the momentum was in MSU’s favor as the Bears added an insurance run in the seventh with an Alexis Perales solo home run to center field, putting the Bears up 4-2. Heading into the home half of the seventh, Johnston and Co. faced just four batters, forcing three fly outs to secure the midweek road victory over the first-place Salukis. MSU’s four earned runs were also the most earned runs that Salukis ace Maddia Groff has given up this season. 
 
Offensively, Mueller led the way with three RBI on her sixth inning shot. The long ball marked her 14^th of the season, tying the Missouri State single-season home run record set by teammate McKenzie Vaughan last season. Mueller also has 43 RBI on the season, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is tied for fourth in a single season in program history. 
 
In the circle, Shelby Houchlei earned her second win of the season, while Johnston collected her league-leading sixth save on the year as the duo held the Salukis to just two runs on eight hits. 
 
The Bears stay on the road this weekend for a three-game MVC series at Evansville (April 26-28).