Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats | MVC-Only Stats
 
SPRINGFIELD –  A pair of well-timed home runs by Northern Iowa lifted the visiting Panthers to a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader sweep of Missouri State here Saturday, 2-0 and 6-3.
 
The Bears (18-11, 4-3 MVC) stranded 12 runners in the opening game and committed five errors on the day.
 
"For the first time in a long time, I thought we looked like a young team at times," said MSU head coach Holly Hesse. "Our pitchers did a great job getting ahead in the count, and they only gave up two earned runs all day. But UNI had a couple of big hits in key situations, and that was the difference."
 
The teams are scheduled to conclude their three-game league series with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. at Killian Stadium. Follow the Bears on Twitter @msusoftball for weather and schedule updates.
 
 
Game 1
Northern Iowa 2, Missouri State 0
 
A solo homer run by UNI's Ashley Chesser in the top of the fifth broke up a scoreless ball game and lifted the Panthers to a 2-0 victory in the series opener.
 
The leadoff blast to left was the fifth of the season for the UNI catcher and was the first base hit of the game for the Panthers who had just one base runner through the first four innings off Bears' starter Steffany Dickerson (11-4).
 
Madison Hunsaker relieved Dickerson later in the frame to get the final out of the fifth. Dickerson, who moved over to first base for the one out, returned to the circle in the sixth and gave way to Hunsaker again with two outs later in the inning to squelch another Panther rally.
 
Missouri State, which out-hit UNI 9-5, got base runners on in every inning but the second. The Bears loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs before Panthers' reliever Erica Oler got MSU's leading hitter Kyana Mason to ground out to second and end the threat.
 
UNI tacked on an insurance run in the seventh, capitalizing on a pair of MSU errors in the final inning to make it a 2-0 game.
 
Missouri State was able to put a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a hit by Daphne Plummer and walk to Hunsaker. But Oler slammed the door with her fourth strikeout to end the game, earning her a three-inning save.
 
The Bears collects six hits off UNI starter Emma Olejniczak (5-3) who fanned five in 4.0 innings and didn't walk anyone.
 
Dickerson allowed five hits in 6.1 innings in taking her first loss since Feb. 22. She struck out three and walked one.
 
 
Game 2
Northern Iowa 6, Missouri State 3
 
In the second game, UNI got a complete game from Jaclyn Spencer in her first start of the season, while a two-run homer by Sammey Bunch in the sixth sealed a 6-3 Panthers win.
 
Missouri State used a clutch two-out single by Alex Boze in the bottom of the second to put the Bears on top 2-1 and give the home team its first lead of the day. Boze's hit to center plated Darby Joerling and Kelly Metter who ignited the rally.
 
But the lead slipped away moments later in the third after a throwing error, a sacrifice fly and a two-out single by Spencer led to a three-run rally by the visitors and swing the advantage back to UNI, 4-2.
 
Spencer held MSU's bats in check over the next four innings, surrendering just one hit in that span. Meanwhile, UNI tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the sixth to give it a 6-2 advantage. A two-out fielding error by Hunsaker opened the door for Bunch to come up again, and she delivered for the Panthers with a two-run blast to left – her eighth home run of the year.
 
Missouri State needed runners in the bottom of the seventh to have a chance and put the first two on with a single by Payton Minnis and a UNI fielding error that allowed Boze to reach. But Spencer dialed up three consecutive grounders to short – the first of which scored Minnis from third on a grounder by Bailey Greenlee – to give the Panthers the win.
 
Missouri State scattered four singles off Spencer on the rainy afternoon.
 
Griesbauer allowed four runs -- one earned -- in 4.0 innings of work, before Hunsaker pitched the final three frames, surrendering just one hit and striking out three in her relief assignment.