Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
HAMMOND, La. – The Missouri State softball Bears pounded out 19 hits and made timely defensive plays to secure a two-game sweep here Friday on the first day of the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic II Tournament.
 
The Bears (5-2) defeated Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 4-1, before knocking off the home team, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-3, in the nightcap.
 
"We made some stellar defensive plays in pressure situations, and our team showed a lot of heart and grit under some tough conditions," said Bears head coach Holly Hesse. "Our pitching really kept us in the games, and we got big days from Madison Hunsaker, Kyana Mason, Daphne Plummer and Steffany Dickerson. I'm excited about a great start to this tournament."
 
Mason, Plummer and Hunsaker tallied four hits apiece on the day, while Dickerson racked up a pair of hits, but was more impressive in the circle. The sophomore allowed just five hits in two relief appearances totaling 8.1 innings with a win and a save.
 
The Bears will continue play in the tournament Saturday with games against Prairie View A&M (11 a.m.) and SIU Edwardsville (3:30 p.m.) before wrapping up the five-game tournament on Sunday morning vs. UTSA with a new start time of 9 a.m.
 
 
Game 1
Missouri State 4, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 1
 
The Bears did all their scoring in the first three innings and held off bases-loaded rallies by the Islanders in the sixth and seventh innings to pick up their fourth win of the season.
 
Erin Griesbauer (2-1) picked up the win for Missouri State as she went 5+ innings in the circle before being relieved by Dickerson in the sixth. Dickerson earned her second save in as many weekends, allowing just one hit from the 11 batters she faced out of the bullpen.
 
MSU scored early on back-to-back hits by the game's first two batters -- Mason and Plummer. Mason came around to score on Plummer's hit after an error by the TAMUCC center fielder.
 
Plummer came through again in the second with a bases-loaded single to center with two outs to score Hannah Heinrichs and Rachel Weber and make it a 3-0 game.
 
Weber made it a 4-0 contest in the third with a hit to left that brought Kelly Metter around to score.
 
The Islanders put runners on base in every inning but managed just a single tally – a run-scoring infield single by Ashleigh Sgambelluri that followed a triple by Keagan Helson in the bottom of the third. TAMUCC stranded 12 runners for the game.
 
Plummer led all players with three hits, while Weber and Mason logged two hits apiece for the Bears, who out-hit the Islanders 9-7.
 
Ashley Smith (0-3) took the loss for Texas A&M-CC, surrendering eight hits in her four innings of work. Helson and Sgambelluri each posted two hits to lead the Islanders.
 
 
 
Game 2
Missouri State 5, Southeastern Louisiana 3
 
A three-run fourth inning brought the Bears back from an early deficit and propelled Missouri State to a 5-3 win over host Southeastern Louisiana in Fridays second game.
 
The Lions (5-4), who have led the nation in stolen bases each of the past two seasons, swiped six bags in the contest, but scattered just three hits over the game's first six innings.
 
Trailing by two in the final inning SLU loaded the bases on three hits, chasing Dickerson (3-1) who pitched 6.1 strong innings. Madison Hunsaker then came on to record the final two outs of the game and earn her first save.
 
The Bears began the late-game drama in the sixth when they added a pivotal run to their 4-3 lead. Heinrichs led the inning off getting hit by a pitch, which ultimately led to a SLU pitching change. Payton Minnis pinch ran for Heinrichs and scored after an infield hit by Mason and a throwing error by the Lions – their second mishap of the inning.
 
Missouri State fell behind 3-1 in the opening inning after a leadoff walk to speedster Jaquelyn Ramon. She came around to score moments later on a stolen base and Bears' throwing error that tied the game, 1-1. SLU then tacked on two more runs later in the inning with a two-run blast by Caroline Manzer -- her second home run of the year.
 
Missouri State's offense finally broke through three innings later, scoring three runs in the top of the fourth on an RBI single up the middle by Rachel Weber to plate pinch runner Abi LaValley. The next hitter, Heinrichs, tripled down the right field line to clear the bases and score Ashton Thomas and Weber.
 
Hunsaker finished 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Bears, while Mason and Dickerson added two hits apiece.
 
Southeastern Louisiana was led by Lindsey Rizzo's two hits. Tanner Wright pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Lions, striking out four without giving up a run. Alley McDonald (1-1) took the loss after giving up five hits in 3.1 innings.