Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri State (7-7) finished in third place at the We Back Pat Tournament here Sunday, hosted by UMKC. The Bears started the day by falling to Saint Louis, 2-1, on a walk-off home run by the Billikens, but bounced back to win the third-place game, 8-0, against the host Kangaroos.
 
Game 1
Saint Louis 2, Missouri State 1
 
Saint Louis (8-4) hit two solo home runs, including a walk-off blast in the bottom of the seventh by Kaylea Chappelle, to edge the Bears, 2-1. The game was suspended in the second inning Saturday evening and resumed play Sunday morning.
 
The Billikens struck first with a two-out solo homer by Hailey Weavers in the second.
 
Missouri State answered in the third on a bases-loaded walk to Hailee Vigneaux that scored Madison Jones. Jones led the inning off with a single. Olivia Roark, who walked in the inning, was thrown out on a close play at the plate to end the MSU threat.
 
Kaitlin Beason returned the favor in the SLU half of the fourth. Relieving starter Erin Griesbauer with the bases loaded and one out, Beason struck out the first Billiken batter she faced and then induced an infield pop out to get the Bears out of the jam.
 
MSU threatened in the fifth and sixth, but had their biggest opportunity in the top of the seventh. A one-out double by Darian Frost preceded pinch-hitter Holly Kelley reaching on a fielder's choice. They eventually advanced to second and third with two outs before SLU retired Vigneaux on a ground out to second.
 
 
Game 2
Missouri State 8, UMKC 0
 
The Bears (7-7) used the long ball to run-rule the host Kangaroos (4-14), 8-0 in five innings, in the third-place game.
 
MSU plated three runs in the bottom of the second to take the early lead. An RBI double by Mary Stephens ignited the Bears' offense before Darian Frosted blasted a two-run homer – her second of the season.
 
Stephens plated another run with a hit in the bottom of the third to make it a 4-0 contest. But coach Holly Hesse's squad blew things open in the fifth, getting three straight singles from Erika Velasquez Zimmer, Hailee Vigneaux and Kyana Mason to set the table for Kaitlin Beason. Beason then blasted a walk-off grand slam to right field, her second homer of the weekend.
 
Beason, who led the team with 6 RBI for the tournament, allowed just three hits in a shutout effort in the circle to improve to 5-3.
 
 
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