WICHITA, Kan. – Repeating its results from yesterday, the Missouri State softball team (12-10) earned a 2-1, 10-inning victory over Western Illinois and fell 7-6 to host Wichita State on the final day of the Shocker Softball Tournament, Sunday at C. Howard Wilkins Stadium.
 
Missouri State 2, Western Illinois 1
The Bears showed tremendous effort against the Leathernecks and ground out a 2-1, 10-inning win to start day two of the Shocker Softball Tournament. The MSU offense combined for eight against WIU, where three seniors – Erika Velasquez Zimmer, Kaitlin Beason and Madison Jones – recorded a pair of hits.
 
MSU put pressure on the Leathernecks in the bottom of the second after Beason and Darian Frost registered back-to-back singles. Hannah Heinrichs moved the pair into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but a pair of Emily Ira strikeouts ended released the pressure.
 
Starter Holly Kelley held the Leathernecks scoreless for the first two innings, but Western Illinois jumped on the board first after a single, walk and hit batter loaded the bases. On two outs, the Leathernecks' Hailey Duwa pushed across a run on a single to center field to give WIU a 1-0 lead.
 
Determined to break up the shutout, Velasquez Zimmer sparked a MSU comeback in the sixth with a leadoff double over the left fielder's head. Hailee Vigneaux moved her over into scoring position with the Bears' third sacrifice bunt of the game and Daphne Plummer tied up the game, 1-1, with an RBI single into right center.
 
Freshman hurler Steffany Dickerson relieved Kelley in the top of the eighth and held off the Leathernecks to give the Bears a chance to end it in the next frame. Madison Jones led off the Bears' efforts with a single through the right side, but she was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice to the pitcher. Two strikeouts ended the Bears' inning and the Bears stranded one runner.  
 
Both teams were held scoreless in the ninth and they went into International Tie Breaker rules to start the 10^th. In an impressive defensive effort, the Bear defense buckled down and did not allow the runner placed on second to advance to third and went to the bottom of the frame looking for just one run.
 
Metter was put on second thanks to the ITB rule and was moved over to third on a Jones single to left field. With one out, Velasquez Zimmer slapped a ball to the WIU third baseman and Metter took off for home. Beating the throw, and the tag, Metter slid into home and captured the 2-1 win for the Bears.
 
Kelley allowed just three hits in seven innings and picked up six strikeouts in her eighth start of the season. Dickerson, who entered the circle in the eighth, fanned two hitters and was awarded her fourth win in the extra-inning contest.
 
Wichita State 7, Missouri State 6
 
MSU struck first in the opening inning after Vigneaux drew a one-out walk to begin the Bears' offensive efforts. A grounder to first moved her into scoring position and a wild pitch from WSU starter Caitlin Bingham put her on third. Surrendering her second wild pitch of the inning, Bingham's pitch went rolling to the backstop and Vigneaux slid in safely at home to put the Bears up, 1-0.
 
Wichita State took the lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run home run off of MSU starter Kaitlin Beason. Responding to the long ball, the Bears fielded a ground ball and fly out to hold WSU at 2-1.
 
Evening the score in the top of the fifth, freshman Kelley Metter laced the first home run of her MSU career and sent the ball sailing over the center-field fence to make it a 2-2 ball game. The Bears pushed two more runs across later in the inning after Velasquez Zimmer earned a free base via four balls. Vigneaux laid down a bunt for a single and Plummer drew a walk to load the bases for Beason.
 
With one out, Beason hit a grounder right back to the WSU pitcher who threw the ball home to try and get the lead out. However, the throw went high and the Shockers' catcher had to pull her foot off the plate to catch it, making Velasquez Zimmer safe at home. After the catch, Perrigan threw the ball down to first and hit Beason square in the back and the ball rolled towards the WSU dugout. Taking advantage of the misfire, Vigneaux rounded third and slid into home to give the Bears a 4-3 advantage.
 
However, the Shockers answered yet again in the bottom of the frame after the pushing another run across on three consecutive hits. MSU turned to sophomore Erin Griesbauer for relief in the circle, but WSU used two hits and a sacrifice fly and scored three more runs for a 7-4 lead.
 
Jones kept the Bears' inning alive in the top of the sixth after she was issued a two-out walk. Back-to-back singles from Velasquez Zimmer and Vigneaux moved her over to third and then a throwing error from WSU's shortstop allowed her to come home, cutting into the Shocker's lead, 7-5.
 
After a slick 6-4-3 prevented WSU from scoring in the bottom of the sixth, the Bears returned to the offensive side of the ball in hopes of a final comeback. Both Beason and Frost beamed WSU closer Bailey Lang with singles and sophomore Darby Joerling dropped down a sac bunt to move the pair into scoring position. MSU's final run came when Madison Hunsaker placed a single to short that allowed the Bear on third to score with just one out. Despite the valiant effort, a pair of strikeouts stifled MSU's comeback and ended the game, 7-6, in favor of the hosting Shockers.
 
Beason, who fell to 0-4 on the season, threw four complete innings while Griesbauer tossed two in relief. Frost led the lineup with two hits and two freshmen, Hunsaker and Metter, led the way with one RBI apiece. With the loss, MSU falls to 12-10 on the season.
 
Coming Up Next
MSU returns to action on Tuesday, Mar. 13 for a 3 p.m. contest at Tulsa. Live stats, as well as live updates, will be available for the game. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.