Bears Break Out Bats on First Day in Conway
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
CONWAY, Ark. – The Missouri State softball Bears picked up their 10^th win of the young season Thursday, tallying a pair of run-rule wins over UAPB and Louisiana Monroe on the opening day of the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic here.
 
Coach Holly Hesse's squad pounded out 22 runs on 18 hits on the evening to improve to 10-7 overall.
 
"Our hitters did a great job of letting the game come to them and not trying to do too much," said Hesse. "They didn't panic when they got behind in the first game, and we really had some quality at-bats in the second game against a team that was familiar with our lineup. 
 
"I was really pleased to see so many players contributing tonight and providing support on the bases, on defense and certainly at the plate. This was a total team effort today."
 
The Bears erased an early deficit in the opener to post an 11-2 win over UAPB before winning by the same score over Louisiana Monroe in the nightcap after a seven-run second inning.
 
MSU will continue the five-game tournament with a game against Coppin State (1:30 p.m.) on Friday before closing out the event Saturday against Southeast Missouri State (11:15 a.m.) and host Central Arkansas (1:30 p.m.).
 
 
Game 1
Missouri State 11, UAPB 2 (5 innings)
 
The Bears piled up eight hits and capitalized on six UAPB errors in an 11-2, five-inning win in Thursday's first game.
 
Missouri State fell behind 2-1 after the opening inning, but scored five runs in the third, two more in the fourth and three in the fifth to open things up.
 
Steffany Dickerson and Rachel Weber tallied two hits apiece to lead the Bears with Dickerson smacking her second homer of the year – a two-run shot -- in the fourth.
 
Erin Griesbauer (3-4) struck out five in a complete-game performance, allowing just one earned run and three hits over 5.0 innings.
 
Missouri State's five-run third inning was highlighted by RBI singles by Dickerson, Madison Hunsaker and Weber that gave the Bears a 6-2 lead. After Dickerson's homer in the fourth made it 8-2, they opened things up even more with a bases-loaded double to left by freshman Hope Hamilton.
 
The Golden Lions (0-12) capitalized on a leadoff triple by Tamira Chatman in the first inning to kick start their go-ahead two-run rally.
 
 
Game 2
Missouri State 11, Louisiana Monroe 2 (5 innings)
 
The Bears accumulated 10 hits and used the strength of a seven-run second inning to roll past Louisiana Monroe, 11-2 in five innings. It marked Missouri State's third win over ULM in the last week.
 
Madison Hunsaker drove home the game's first run in the top of the first before Weber gave the Bears a 2-0 lead on an infield hit later in the inning.
 
The Bears really opened things up in the second, sending 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run frame. Daphne Plummer smacked a two-run single, Morgan Greenlee walked with the bases loaded, and Hope Hamilton brought two more runners around to score on a double to left.
 
Hamilton notched another RBI on an infield grounder in the fourth before Payton Minnis made it an 11-0 game on a single up the middle.
 
Dickerson retired seven ULM batters in a row before issuing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth to Sydney McKay. Three batters later, Brie Wrobel's two-run single chased home her team's only runs of the evening.  McKay led the Warhawks (1-16) with two hits.
 
Dickerson (5-3) took the win in the circle, striking out eight with one walk, four hits and a pair of earned runs in a five-inning effort.
 
Hunsaker also extended her hitting streak to 16 straight games as one of nine Bears to collect hits in the win. Kyana Mason reached based three times with a pair of singles, while Hamilton drove in a game-high three runs.