MSU Softball Has Strong Opening Day at A&M Tourney

Friday, February 17

College Station, Texas

10:00 a.m.

Missouri State University

3-3

New Mexico

4-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
New Mexico	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	10	1
Missouri State	2	0	2	0	0	1	X	5	9	1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Missouri State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Texas A&M	0	0	3	2	0	0	X	5	8	0

MSU Softball Has Strong Opening Day at A&M Tourney

February 17, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: MSU Athletics Communications

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Missouri State (3-4) split a pair of competitive games Friday on the first day of play at the Texas A&M Invitational here.

The Bears jumped all over New Mexico early en route to a 5-3 win over the Lobos in the first game before falling 5-0 to nationally-ranked host Texas A&M in the night cap.

MSU will get another shot at the host and No. 17/19-ranked Aggies on Saturday at 3 p.m., before closing out day two against Stephen F. Austin at 5:15 p.m.

Game 1
Missouri State 5, New Mexico 3

The Bears built a 5-1 lead after six innings, and held off a late charge by New Mexico to take the opening game of the tournament by a 5-3 score.

Holly Kelley pitched 6-plus gritty innings for MSU to pick up her first win as a Bear. She surrendered just a single run in the third before a two-run homer by UNM's D'Andra DeFlora in the top of the seventh on Kelley's 98^th pitch made it a game. Kaitlin Beason came in relief to record the final three outs and earn her first save.

The Bears jumped on the Lobos (4-2) early and often with Erika Velasquez Zimmer setting the table in the bottom of the first with a single and a stolen base. Three batters later, Bethany Sullinger blasted her second home run of the young season down the left field line to put MSU up 2-0.

Missouri State tacked on two more runs in the third with Velasquez Zimmer leading off with an infield single and Hailee Vigneaux working a walk. National player of the week Mary Stephens then sacrificed them into scoring position for Beason who singled them home to make it 4-1.

Coach Holly Hesse's club would add another run in the sixth when Elena Gambill walked and then capitalized on a Lobos fielding error after a single by Madison Jones to make it a 5-1 contest.

New Mexico scattered 10 hits on the morning and stranded eight runners.

Game 2
Texas A&M 5, Missouri State 0

Texas A&M (7-0) used two big swings and the arm of pitcher Lexi Smith to top the Bears, 5-0.

The Aggies got a three-run homer from Ashley Walters with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the third to break up a scoreless game. TAMU then tacked on two more in the fourth on a two-run bomb off the scoreboard by Riley Sartain to make it 5-0.

MSU starter Kaitlin Beason (1-2) allowed just three other hits in four innings of work and threw first-pitch strikes to 14 of the 19 batters she faced, striking out three. Erin Griesbauer pitched two shutout innings in relief for the Bears.

MSU (3-4) scattered three hits, including a pair of singles by second baseman Madison Jones, while Hailee Vigneaux also singled.

#MSUBears