STARKVILLE, Miss. – After rain canceled games on day two of the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, the Missouri State softball team returned to Nusz Park and split a pair of games here, Sunday afternoon. The MSU offense came alive in the Bears' 16-2 victory over Nebraska-Omaha, but the team later dropped a 5-0 decision to host Mississippi State.
 
Missouri State 16, Nebraska-Omaha 2
The Bears used an offensive explosion to get ahead early in the first inning. Beginning with senior Erika Velasquez Zimmer, MSU racked up six hits, two walks and one hit by pitch through 13 batters. The speedster began the inning with a single up the middle and an immediate stolen base. A ground out and a walk later, the Bears found themselves in scoring position with runners on the corners. Showing both speed and skill, a double steal plated the Bears' first of nine runs in the inning.
 
The Bears second run was brought in on a Steffany Dickerson single into right field, who then worked her way around to third as a result of a misplayed ball at home. The next at-bat, senior standout Kaitlin Beason blasted an RBI double to the left-field wall to make it a 3-0 game. Entering for Beason on the base-path, senior Sara Jones advanced to third on a wild pitch and was then brought home off a single into right-center field by starting catcher Morgan Greenlee.
 
Following suit, junior Kyana Mason scorched an RBI triple down the right-field line and Greenlee made her way home to put the Bears up 5-0. After a walk put redshirt sophomore Hannah Heinrichs on first, she took off on a steal for second base. The UNO catcher chased Heinrichs but overthrew the ball, allowing Mason to easily score from third. With just one out, senior Madison Jones forced a throwing error that scored Heinrichs from second and was brought home one at-bat later off an RBI triple into right center by Velasquez Zimmer. In her second at-bat of the inning, senior Hailee Vigneaux brought in the Bears' final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to push MSU's score to 9-0.
 
After senior starter Holly Kelley (2-0) held the Mavericks scoreless in the bottom of the frame, the Bears returned in the top of the second with more offensive power. In the first at-bat of the frame, Beason blasted the Bears' first home run of the season over the left field wall to give the Bears a 10-1 advantage over UNO. Two outs later, Heinrichs drew her second free base of the day and advanced to second off a single from Jones. Stepping up for her third at-bat of the rematch, Velasquez Zimmer sent a double down the left-field line and brought around Heinrichs for MSU's 11^th run of the morning. Picking up hits in now nine straight games, Vigneaux scored two more runs off an RBI single down the right-field line and scored off a fielding error in left field one play later.
 
 A walk and two singles scored a run for UNO in the bottom of the second to make it 14-1, but MSU came charging back in the top of the fourth after a walk and Daphne Plummer double into left-center field secured run No. 15 for the Bears. The Mavericks only other run came in the bottom of the fourth when UNO's Natalie Mostek sent a ball over the center-field fence.
 
Adding one final blow, the Bears upped the score, 16-2, in what would be the final inning of the game after freshman Madison Hunsaker led off the inning with a triple. With two outs, sophomore Darby Joerling stepped in to pinch hit and launched a double into center to plate the Bear on third.
 
Despite surrendering two runs, Kelley tallied two strikeouts and allowed just four hits in five complete innings. The MSU offense showed incredible improvement against UNO as the team registered a season-high 14 hits and 16 runs. Velasquez Zimmer led the Bears with three hits and three runs while Vigneaux tallied a team-high three RBIs.
 
Mississippi State 5, Missouri State 0
Missouri State posted four full innings of solid defense, but a four-run deficit in the fifth inning was too much for the Bears to overcome as MSU fell 5-0 to Mississippi State.
 
The Bears put runners in scoring position in four separate innings, but struggled to produce runs against the Bulldogs. Missouri State found a scoring opportunity in the second inning when Dickerson and junior Darian Frost both drew walks, but they couldn't plate a run.
 
Picking up MSU's first hit of the afternoon, Plummer broke up starting pitcher Holly Ward's no-hitter with a single through the left side. Beason, who also started in the circle for the Bears, kept the momentum alive in the next at-bat with a single up the middle, but a fielder's choice ended the threat.
 
The MSU defense found itself in a jam in the fourth after a double down the left-field line, single and error juiced the bases with just one out. However, the Bears buckled down and Beason induced an easy pop up and fast grounder to end the Bulldogs' threat.
 
After keeping Mississippi State at bay for four complete innings, the Bulldogs plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth. They kicked off the inning with a double into center field and then broke through the scoreless deadlock with a two-run homer over the right-field fence. Madison Hunsaker came in to relieve Beason and immediately registered the first strikeout of her collegiate career. However, a double to the right-field wall and triple into center brought in two more runs to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 advantage. The Bulldogs went on to score one more run in the sixth inning after a long, sacrifice fly upped Mississippi State's score, 5-0.
 
Beason (0-1) faced 20 batters through four innings and Hunsaker tossed two complete innings. Plummer and Beason led the team with one hit apiece as the Bears fell to an even 2-2 on the season.
 
Coming Up Next
Missouri State returns to the field next week at the UTSA Softball Classic in San Antonio, Texas. There, the Bears will face Prairie View A&M, Lamar, Kansas and host UTSA on Feb. 16-18. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.