Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OXFORD, Ala. – Scoring first in both of its games, the Missouri State softball team split a pair of games against Tennessee State and Jacksonville State at Choccolocco Park, Friday afternoon.
 
Missouri State 7, Tenessee State 0
Junior Holly Kelley picked up her second victory of the season after tossing seven scoreless innings against Tennessee State. Holding the Tigers scoreless through the first inning, the newcomer helped her own cause as she led off the second inning with a double deep into left field.
 
Entering the game to pinch run for Kelley, freshman Darby Joerling advanced to second base after a pitch got by Tennessee State's catcher. With one out, Madison Jones drew a walk to put runners on the corners for the Bears. Jones was caught trying to steal second base on the following pitch, but the throw to second gave Joerling just enough time to come home for Missouri State's first run of the day.
 
On two outs in the top of the third, junior Hailee Vigneaux placed a single into right field to bring up the Bears' offensive leader, Mary Stephens. The senior blasted a stand-up double to the left field wall, bringing around Vigneaux to extend Missouri State's lead, 2-0.
 
The Bears' bats came alive in the top of the sixth, starting with Stephens who kicked off the inning with a single into left-center field. Senior Bethany Sullinger followed suit, launching a double over the center fielder's head to put runners in scoring position with no outs. A pair of hits later, Missouri State brought in two runs to make it a 4-0 ball game. The Bears scored one more time after the Tigers' catcher made an error on a throw down to second, allowing another Bear to score.
 
Missouri State's final surge came in the seventh inning where Erika Velasquez Zimmer lined a triple into left-center field on a 1-2 count. Two pitches later, Vigneaux grounded out to second base, allowing Zimmer to score the Bear's sixth run of the game. After another infield ground out, Sullinger scored the Bear's final run on a two-out homer over the left-field wall – her second of the season.
 
Despite two base runners in the bottom of the seventh, the Bears held off the Tigers to clinch a 7-0 victory over Tennessee State. Her second complete game of the season, Kelley posted her first shutout of the season, striking out four and surrendering just three hits over seven innings of work.
 
Jacksonville State 4, Missouri State 2
The Bears and the Gamecocks battled back-and-fourth throughout their first meeting in program history, but a three-run sixth inning was too much for Missouri State to overcome as the Bears fell to Jacksonville State 4-2.
 
Missouri State took a 1-0 lead early in the first inning after Velazques Zimmer was brought around from second on a single to left center. The Bears threatened to score again after loading the bases in the top of the third, but their efforts were halted on strikeout to end the inning.
 
The Bear defense kept Jacksonville State off the board until late in the fourth inning when the Gamecocks loaded the bases on a single and back-to-back errors. Jacksonville State's Anna Chislom stepped up and singled through the right side to tie the game at one run apiece.
 
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Bears strung together three singles to juice the bases for Velasquez Zimmer. With one out, Jacksonville's Taylor West dished out one strike and four balls, walking in Missouri State's second and final run of the game.
 
Trailing the Bears 2-1, the Gamecocks responded in the bottom of the sixth with three runs of their own. Two singles followed by two doubles, quickly brought in three runs as Jacksonville State took its first lead of the game. Missouri State placed two runners on base in the top of the seventh, but was unable to push across any runs as the Bears fell 4-2 to the Gamecocks. In the circle, Beason (5-4) racked up a season-high seven strikeouts against Jacksonville State.
 
Coming Up Next
The Missouri State softball team returns to action tomorrow for a pair of two games at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. The Bears begin with a matchup against Alabama State at 10:30 a.m. followed by a rematch against Samford at 3:30 p.m. For more information on the Missouri State softball team visit www.missouristatebears.com or Twitter (@MSUSoftball).