SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State softball (18-25, 6-15 CUSA) fell 12-11 in a high-scoring series finale against Jacksonville State (35-12, 19-2 CUSA) on Sunday at Killian Stadium.
Coming off their worst loss in program history, the Bears bounced back in a big way on Sunday afternoon. To start, Jax State picked up right where it left off yesterday, as the Gamecocks scored three runs on five hits and an error to start this one. However, Missouri State had an immediate response as
Halle Studer hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first to knot the game at 3-3.
After Jax State added one run in the top of the second, Mo State posted another crooked number as the Bears scored four in the bottom of the second to take the lead.
Elizabeth Bobbitt drew a walk to start the inning and later an
Emily Chadwick infield single and stolen base gave the Bears two runners in scoring position with two outs.
Riley Baber hit an infield single to shortstop to score the first run, before
Kayla Ulrich launched the Bears' second three-run homer of the day to take a 7-4 lead after two.
Missouri State held onto the momentum for a while as Studer knocked her second home run of the game in the third inning, a solo shot, to extend the lead to 8-4 with three complete.
The Gamecocks answered with a solo home run of their own in the top of the fourth, but the Mo State offense stayed hot. Chadwick walked to lead off the inning, followed by a
Brynn Romine single and a Baber hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs. After lining into a double play on a great snag from the Jax State first baseman, the Bears still had two runners in scoring position with two outs. Studer drove in her fifth run of the afternoon on a hit by a pitch with bases loaded after
Lauren Rowland worked a walk, and then
Alexis Perales sent a two-out, two-RBI single to left field to put the Bears up 11-5.
That's where the momentum shifted in this one as Jax State steadily started to chip away at the Mo State lead and the Bears' offense hit a wall.
The Gamecocks hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth, and then the Bears squandered a scoring opportunity in the home half of the inning after loading the bases with one out. Jax State added three more in the sixth via a combination of three hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly to creep closer to Mo State, making the score 11-9.
Missouri State headed into the seventh with a two-run lead, but Jax State posted another three-spot. After an RBI single to cut the Mo State lead to one run, the ultimate faceoff began as the Bears had two outs on the board and Jax State had bases loaded. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks won the battle, sending a two-RBI single to center field to take a 12-11 lead that would hold up as Mo State fell in the series finale.
Studer led the way after going 2-for-3 with a career-high five RBI, two home runs and a hit by pitch. Ulrich followed with three RBI off her home run, while Perales drove in two on the afternoon. Mo State had 10 two-out RBI on the day and the Bears' leadoff batter reached in five of seven innings.
Missouri State is back on the road next week with a midweek matchup at Kansas City (April 21) and a three-game CUSA series at UTEP (April 24-26).
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