Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
HAMMOND, La. – The Missouri State softball Bears (6-3) split a pair of games on the second day of the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic II here Saturday. The Bears topped Prairie View A&M, 6-2, early Saturday afternoon before falling to SIU Edwardsville, 3-1, in the nightcap.
 
"It was great to see our freshmen do well in game one," said Bears head coach Holly Hesse. "Bailey Greenlee threw a complete game, and Alex Boze caught her, so I was really happy with the way they competed and the experience they got. Our bats gave them good run support, and we put together double-digit hits for the second game in a row."
 
"In the second game against SIUE, we ran into a good rise-ball pitcher (Ingles), and we weren't able to string together many hits to get something going. But I was happy with a quality start from Erin Griesbauer, and Steffany Dickerson did a great job in relief. Our defense did a much better job today, which gave us a chance."
 
The SIUE game snapped a three-game win streak for the Bears, who have now won six of their last eight games overall.
 
The Bears conclude the tournament Sunday at 9 a.m. when they take on UT San Antonio (3-6) on field one of the North Oak Park.
 
 
Game 1
Missouri State 6, Prairie View A&M 2
 
The Bears pounded out 11 hits and got a complete-game from freshman pitcher Bailey Greenlee to turn back Prairie View A&M, 6-2, in Saturday's early game.
 
Greenlee struck out five, walked three and surrendered five hits in her first career complete game performance.
 
Right out of the gates, Madison Hunsaker started the scoring for the Bears with a two-out double to left to bring Daphne Plummer plateward. Hunsaker later scored on a passed ball to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
 
Prairie View answered with a two-out RBI from Kaila Lee in the bottom of the first, but that was as close as the Panthers would get the rest of the way.
 
Missouri State extended its advantage with multiple runs in the third and fifth innings to put the game away.
 
Steffany Dickerson started the third-inning fireworks with a base hit. Ashton Thomas pinch ran for her and scored on a wild pitch just before Darby Joerling made it a 4-1 game with an RBI single to score Rachel Weber.
 
In the fifth, Hunsaker, Weber and Joerling strung together three straight hits to help the Bears add two more runs. Joerling had an RBI single in the rally, and Weber stole home to make it 6-1.
 
Shelby Williams' two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth gave PVAMU its final run of the afternoon, but Greenlee retired seven of the last eight batters she faced to lock up the win for the Bears.
 
MSU got two hits apiece from Joerling, Plummer, Hunsaker and Weber to wrap its third consecutive victory.
 
Lee and Williams accounted for two hits apiece for PVAMU (4-4).
 
 
Game 2
SIU Edwardsville 3, Missouri State 1
 
In Saturday's second game, SIU Edwardsville hurler Emily Ingles (2-0) struck out nine Bears and allowed just two hits through the first six innings to hand MSU a 3-1 setback.
 
Missouri State starter Erin Griesbauer (2-2) went four-plus innings before surrendering a pair of runs in the fifth. SIUE's Conner Cutright singled and later stole home on a missed squeeze play before an RBI single by Alana Cobb-Adams made it 2-0.  The Bears brought in Steffany Dickerson from the bullpen to put out the smolder, and the two-run game held until the seventh.
 
The Cougars tacked on an insurance tally in the seventh on a passed ball to make it a 3-0 contest.
 
However, the Bears' never-say-die montra was evident in the seventh with a two-hit rally to break up the shutout. Doubles by Madison Hunsaker and Kelly Metter put the Bears on the board and brought the tying run to the plate. But Ingles ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts for the Cougars.
 
SIU Edwardsville (3-1) pounded out nine hits, including eight singles, with Alyssa Herren going 3-for-3 to lead all players.
 
Bears' hurlers Griesbauer and Dickerson combined to strike out seven Cougars and surrendered just two earned runs with no walks on the afternoon. Griesbauer also pitched around a Cougars' triple in the fourth.