Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State (21-14, 9-5 MVC) split a Missouri Valley Conference softball doubleheader with visiting Evansville here Friday with the Bears taking game one, 2-1, in a battle of the league's top pitchers, and visiting Purple Aces plating three unearned runs in the first inning to win the second game, 3-1.
 
Evansville (17-23, 8-6 MVC) out-hit the Bears in both games and overcame two errors in the second game to earn the split.
 
The clubs will square off again Saturday at 11 a.m. in the rubber game of the series. A free Easter egg hunt for children will take place on the field after Saturday's ball game.
 
Game 1
Missouri State 2, Evansville 1
 
In a battle between two of the top pitchers in the Missouri Valley Conference, MSU's Kaitlin Beason held the Aces in check for six shutout innings before slamming the door on an Evansville rally in the seventh in a 2-1 Missouri State victory.
 
Beason (11-6) gave up three of the six hits she allowed in the final inning, but was impressive throughout, striking out three and walking just two. She also helped her own cause with what would become the game-winning hit in the bottom of the sixth on a one-out squeeze play to score pinch runner Kyana Mason and give the Bears a 2-0 lead at the time.
 
MSU scored its first run in the opening inning on a wild pitch by Evansville's Morgan Florey (11-6) to plate Erika Velasquez Zimmer. Zimmer walked to start the game, stole second and advanced to third on an illegal pitch by Foley.
 
The Aces had three straight singles to start the seventh, but lost a runner at third when Bethany Sullinger retrieved an overthrow near the MSU dugout and threw to Mary Stephens covering third to record the first out of the inning. The play resulted in Evansville's first run of the game with Michael Luckett scoring on the error before the play was made on Chandra Parr. Beason then retired Tess Hupe in a contested 12-pitch at-bat and got Bethany Hay to pop out to end the game.
 
Florey, the MVC's strikeout leader, fanned five MSU hitters and allowed five hits in a 132-pitch day. The Aces out-hit Missouri State, 6-5, despite a two-hit day by Elena Gambill.
 

Game 2
Evansville 3, Missouri State 1
 
Evansville scored three unearned runs in the top of the first inning and held on the rest of the way in a 3-1 Aces win in the second game of Saturday's twin bill at Killian Stadium.
 
After MSU's Holly Kelley (9-6) walked the first batter of the game, Evansville capitalized on a rare defensive error by the Bears, followed by an intentional walk to load the bases. The Purple Aces then posted runs on a sacrifice fly by Hayli Scott, an RBI double by Chandra Parr and a single by Ashleigh Downing to put the home club in a three-run hole.
 
Downing (3-6), Evansville's starter, rode that momentum to a complete-game win, allowing just four Bears' hits the rest of the way and striking out three.
 
Missouri State broke through in the fifth with a single tally on an RBI single to left by Erika Velasquez Zimmer. But Downing ended the MSU threat with an inning-ending strikeout with two Bears on base.
 
MSU also put two runners on in the seventh, but lost catcher Morgan Greenlee on a caught stealing right before Kyana Mason reached on a bunt single. Downing got Velasquez Zimmer to fly out to left to end the game and the Bears' comeback hopes.
 
Kelley allowed six hits, struck out five and walked four in a complete-game effort.