DES MOINES, Iowa – Missouri State softball (18-32, 15-11 MVC) swept Saturday's doubleheader at Drake (21-30, 12-14 MVC). The Bears took game one by a score of 3-1 before clinching the series with a 6-1 win in game two.
Game 1 – Missouri State 3, Drake 1
Missouri State jumped on the board first to set the tone for a good day in Des Moines.
Chloe Merced knocked a leadoff double in the top of the third to get things rolling.
Halle Studer then laid down a great bunt that caused some commotion as the Drake pitcher made an error throwing to first, allowing the first run of the day to score. Following a
McKenzie Vaughan walk, back-to-back fielder's choices pushed a second run across.
The Bears then posted three consecutive 1-2-3 innings on defense and held the Bulldogs scoreless through the first six innings of the game.
Merced added an insurance run in the top of the seventh with a solo homer to center field to make it 3-0 in favor of the Bears. Drake managed a run in the bottom of the seventh following a hit, a couple of walks and a fielder's choice, but that would be all as Missouri State secured the 3-1 win to open the series.
MoState knocked three extra-base hits led by Merced who was 2-for-4 in game one with a double and a home run. Vaughan earned her 10
th victory of the season in the circle, hurling a complete game while allowing just one earned run and striking out four.
Game 2 – Missouri State 6, Drake 1
The momentum rolled right over into game two for the Bears as they struck immediately in the first inning. Merced led game two off with a ball to deep right field that the Drake outfielder dropped, allowing Merced to reach third base. In the very next at-bat, Studer sent a RBI double to left center field to give MoState the early 1-0 lead.
Missouri State posted runs in four consecutive innings to begin the game, while holding Drake scoreless over the same span.
With two outs in the second inning, the Bears put together a rally starting with a
Kenzie Derryberry hit by pitch. A Bulldog error extended the inning, before Merced knocked an RBI single.
Riley Baber added another run for the Bears in the third inning with a solo home run to center field.
MoState really broke things open with a three-run fourth inning to extend the lead to a commanding 6-0 advantage. Derryberry started the inning by beating out the throw to first on a dropped third strike, before Drake couldn't get the lead out on a fielder's choice to put two runners on with no outs. Another fielder's choice and Bulldog error, followed by a wild pitch allowed two runs to score. Two batters later, Baber hit an RBI ground out to cap the scoring in the inning.
Drake stranded four runners on base in the fourth through sixth innings, as the Bulldogs came up still trailing by six runs in the seventh. Three Bulldog singles in the inning did allow a single run to score, but that was all as Missouri State secured the series win with a 6-1 victory.
Baber and Studer each drove in two runs in game two, while Baber also had three hits and scored a run in the contest.
Mackenzie Chacon gave the Bears another efficient outing as she earned the victory, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings and striking out two. Iowa native
Aubrey Johansen came on in the seventh to close it out.
UP NEXT: The Bears and Bulldogs close both the series and the regular season tomorrow (May 4). First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN+.
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