Late inning heriocs lifted Missouri State to a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader sweep of Evansville, Sunday, at Evansville, Ind. The softball Bears scored two runs in the seventh en route to a 4-1 win in the first game and tallied two in the eighth to win the second contest 5-3. MSU is now 23-13 overall and 10-8 in the Valley.

Senior Michelle Armentrout’s game-winning two-run home run in the eighth capped a heroic late-inning comeback by the Bears in the second game. Missouri State scored three runs in the seventh to extend the game into extra innings. Freshman Jenna Schwark singled in a pair of runs and senior Melissa Porche drove in another to tie the game 3-3. Evansville scored a single run in each, the first, fourth and fifth inning to forge a 3-0 lead.

Senior hurler Porche (14-10) earned her second victory of the day following junior Brooke Kempker’s diving catch of a two-out, one on line drive in the gap between left and center with 3 2/3 innings of relief work. Sophomore pitcher Lauren McGinley (7-2) started the game, before yielding to Porche, who pitched her 18th complete game in the first game of the twinbill. The Purple Aces managed just three hits in the Bears’ 4-1 victory and Porche allowed just seven hits in 11 2/3 innings of work on the day, while striking out six.

Freshman Ashley Knehan’s two run home run in the fourth was the big hit for the Bears in the contest. Missouri State capitalized on two Evansville errors in the seventh to score a pair of insurance runs on just one hit after the Purple Aces closed to within 2-1 on a sixth inning tally..

MSU will host Tulsa, Wednesday (April 23) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the MSU Softball Field.