Missouri State pitchers held Central Arkansas scoreless in a non-conference doubleheader, Wednesday at the MSU Softball Field. The Bears won the first game 3-0 and the second 8-0 in six innings to improve to 21-12 overall.

Senior Melissa Porche (12-9) dominated UCA in the opener, throwing a four-hitter while striking out 11. UCA managed three hits in the fourth, two of which were bloopers over Porche’s head, but the Bears’ ace struck out Hannah Ambrose with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Junior Elysha Swider’s lead-off home run to left in the bottom of the first was one of seven MSU hits in the opener. The Bears scored a run in each of the first three innings. Porche, who went 2-for-3 at the plate, scored in the second on a UCA throwing error following junior Jana Shewmaker’s single. Junior Jessie Smith doubled high off the fence in left center and later scored on senior Michelle Armentrout’s single in the third for the Bears’ final run.

MSU sophomore starter Lauren McGinley (7-2) pitched a five-hitter over six scoreless innings in the second game for the Bears. With two outs in the first, Smith doubled and scored on Armentrout’s home run to center to give MSU a 2-0 lead. A second two-out rally in the third produced another pair of MSU runs when Armentout doubled home junior Ashley Arbon and Smith.

Freshman Christa Gammon doubled to center to start the MSU fifth and later scored on a UCA throwing error. Junior Brooke Kempker, senior Lacie Ballard and Swider each had RBI hits in the sixth to end the game.

MSU will face Evansville Saturday (April 19) in a 12 p.m. doubleheader, followed by a single game Sunday (April 20) starting at 12 p.m. in a weekend MIssouri Valley Conference series hosted by the Aces.