CLEARWATER, Fla. – Missouri State softball fell in its season opener at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, 12-0, to the No. 5 Clemson Tigers here Thursday night. 
 
Olivia Krehbiel paced Missouri State offensively with a 2-for-2 night at the plate, knocking a couple of singles. The Bears played a clean game defensively, committing no errors on the night. 
 
The fifth-ranked Tigers jumped on the Bears early with five runs in each of the first two innings, collecting nine hits to take an early 10-0 lead. In the bottom of the second inning, Olivia Krehbiel collected Missouri State's first hit of the night, but the Bears couldn't push a run across. Clemson then tacked on two runs in the third inning, courtesy of Julia Knowler's second homer of the night to extend the Tigers' lead.
 
From there, Mackenzie Chacon and the Bear defense settled in as Missouri State turned in consecutive 1-2-3 innings with three ground outs, a pop up and two flyouts over the final two innings of the game. The home half of the fourth saw Krehbiel record her second hit of the night with a soft single to first base and later move into scoring position on a wild pitch. However, that would be it for the Bears after two Valerie Cagle strikeouts ended the inning. 
 
MSU got a runner on base with two outs in the final inning on a Clemson error, but a strikeout ended the game with the Bears falling, 12-0, to open the NFCA Leadoff Classic. 
 
The Bears are back in action tomorrow for day two in Clearwater. Missouri State will face Western Kentucky at 12 p.m. CT and Army at 3 p.m. CT.