Box Score | Season Stats | Highlights
 
SPRINGFIELD – Highlighted by a two-out grand slam from freshman Madison Hunsaker, the Missouri State softball team (17-10) carried out an offensive onslaught in its 11-5 victory over UMKC, Tuesday evening at Killian Stadium.
 
Scoring double-digit runs for the third time this season, MSU unleashed 13 hits in six innings. Hailee Vigneaux and Daphne Plummer led the Bear lineup with three hits apiece and senior Kaitlin Beason followed close behind with two. Five other Bears recorded hits in the six-run victory.
 
MSU wasted no time in the batter's box and jumped out of the gates eager to score. Erika Velasquez Zimmer led off the bottom of the first with a triple into center field and Vigneaux singled to third to put runners on the corners. After Vigneaux stole her ninth base of the season, Plummer drove in Velasquez Zimmer from third thanks to a fielder's choice to first base.
 
The next at-bat, Beason lifted a sacrifice fly into right field to score Vigneaux, and junior Darian Frost followed up with an RBI single up the middle to give the Bears an early 3-0 lead.
 
MSU starter Holly Kelley (7-2) kept the Kangaroos off the board until the third inning when two walks put runners on first and second. Staying in the fight, UMKC used a base-clearing double and sacrifice fly to tie up the game, 3-3.
 
However, the MSU offense responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the third after Madison Jones laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved starting catcher Morgan Greenlee and Kyana Mason into scoring position. In her third at-bat of the day, Velasquez Zimmer brought in Greenlee on a sacrifice fly out in left field to make it a 4-3 ball game.
 
With two outs, Vigneaux tacked on another run off an RBI double and Plummer followed up with an RBI single to right field to give the Bears a 6-3 lead.
 
UMKC cut into the Bears' lead again in the top of the fourth thanks to back-to-back home runs from Lia Lombardini and Alyx Bloom. Following the long balls, sophomore Erin Griesbauer stepped in to relieve Kelley in the circle and shut down the half-inning with a strikeout.
 
With just one-run separating the Bears and the Kangaroos, MSU loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth. Picking up her sixth RBI of the season, sophomore Darby Joerling drove in run number seven on a single through the right side.
 
On two outs, Hunsaker stepped in to pinch hit with the bases juiced. On the first pitch offered by UMKC reliever Olivia Fluehr, the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week went yard and blasted a grand slam to expand MSU's lead to a commanding, 11-5 mark.
 
Hunsaker's dead-center shot was just the second home run of her career and was the first grand slam hit by the Bears this season.
 
Griesbauer held off UMKC in the top of the sixth and freshman Steffany Dickerson closed out the top of the seventh to secure the Bears' 17^th victory of the season. Kelley, who fanned four hitters, was awarded the win after tossing 3.2 innings. The MSU pitching staff allowed just four hits in the matchup and combined for seven strikeouts on the day.
 
Coming Up Next
The Bears return to Killian Stadium Saturday afternoon for a league doubleheader against Valley newcomer Valparaiso. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.