March 11, 2015 Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Senior Rebecca McPherson hit a three-run walk-off home run to cap a six-run seventh inning and the Missouri State softball team (11-10) rallied for a sweep of visiting UMKC (10-10) to open the home slate at Killian Stadium on Wednesday. MSU rallied for a 15-14 win in game two after a 6-4 victory in the opener. The Bears racked up a Killian Stadium record 19 hits in game two.
"It was great to see us come out and hit the ball as well as we did," said head coach Holly Hesse. "When you put up 15 runs, everybody has to contribute. The biggest thing to me was the grit we battled with, down by five in the seventh and grind it out for the win."
McPherson's walk-off was her second home run of the game and she drove in four runs in game two. She had four hits on the day.
Redshirt sophomore Mary Stephens became the first MSU player since 1997 to have five hits in a game. She drove in four runs in the doubleheader and scored twice.
Freshman Chelsea Thomas had three hits in game one and hit her league-best seventh home run of the season in game two. Thomas had three runs batted in and scored four times in the doubleheader.
Game 1 - Missouri State 6, UMKC 4
The Bears fell behind in the second inning as UMKC pushed across three runs. MSU answered in the bottom of the inning, started by a Thomas leadoff double. After advancing to third on a groundout, she scored on a Madison Jones sacrifice fly.
In the Bears' fourth inning, Erika Velasquez Zimmer reached on a bunt single to begin the frame. Hits by McPherson and Thomas drove in the first run. A fielder's choice by Stephens pushed home another run. Madison Jones doubled to right to drive in two and give the Bears a 5-3 lead.
After UMKC scored a run in the fifth to pull within a run, Thomas again hit a leadoff double in the Bears' sixth inning. Then with two outs, Braxton Coil lined a single to left to score Thomas.
Game 2 - Missouri State 15, UMKC 14
Missouri State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Stephens and Chelsea Jones each had two-run singles in the inning. Thomas also drove in a run on a fielder's choice as the Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in the first.
UMKC got a run back in the second inning and tacked on three more in the third to make it a 5-4 game.
The Bears pushed the lead back to 7-4 as Thomas and Stephens again drove in runs in the bottom of the third. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Kangaroos erupted for six runs in the top of the fourth.
UMKC put up three more runs in the fifth inning. In the bottom half of the frame, MSU got two of them back. McPherson hit her first home run of the game to lead off the fifth. On the very next pitch, Thomas drilled a home run to right. The Bears would load the bases for the fourth time in the game, but be held to the two runs.
After UMKC added a run in the sixth, the Bears came to bat in the seventh, trailing by five runs. Stephens doubled to center to start the rally and advance to third on a ground out. Chelsea Jones walked to put runners on the corners. Coil drove in her second run of the day with a single. Elena Gambill singled to left and the ball got past the left fielder allowing two runs to score. With two outs, Hailee Vigneaux reached on an infield single. That brought McPherson to the plate as the winning run. McPherson ran the count full and then launched a walk-off three-run shot to center to cap the comeback.
The Bears return to action on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Killian Stadium against Arkansas. MSU will host Drake on Saturday and Sunday to open MVC play.
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