Softball Bears Kick Start North Texas Invitational with 3-1 Victory

Friday, February 14

Denton, Texas

2:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

2-4

Creighton

3-3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Missouri State	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4	1
Creighton	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Abilene Christian	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	0	7	10	0
Missouri State	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	X	2	6	0

Softball Bears Kick Start North Texas Invitational with 3-1 Victory

February 14, 2020 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

By: MSU Athletics Communications

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats

DENTON, Texas. – Missouri State softball (2-5) opened the North Texas Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Creighton here Friday before falling to Abilene Christian, 7-2, to split day one of the two-day event.

The Bears return to Lovelace Stadium on Saturday evening for their final two games of the tournament, facing UT Martin at 5:30 p.m., followed by host North Texas at 8:00 p.m.

Game 1
Bears 3, Creighton 1
Missouri State put together a two-run first inning and rode the arm of starter Steffany Dickerson to a 3-1 victory over former MVC rival Creighton in the tournament opener.

The Bears reached safely on four consecutive at-bats in the top of the first with Darian Frost's deep fly ball to center falling on a Bluejays error to give MSU the a 2-0 lead in the first frame.

Creighton (3-3) scored its lone run in the third after MSU starter Dickerson registered back-to-back clean innings to begin her day.

Defense came up big for Missouri State in the bottom of inning four to protect its one-run lead. With a runner at first, the Bears halted a Creighton single from being stretched into a double to get the out at second. On the following at-bat, Dickerson snapped a throw to home plate on a squeeze play to end the Bluejays' scoring threat.

The Bears tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh with Olivia Krehbiel smacking a one-out single to score pinch-runner Kathryn Taylor all the way from first. Taylor came on for Tess Weakly who drew her second walk of the game.

Madison Hunsaker came on to earn MSU's first save of the season as she struck out all three batters she faced to secure the 3-1 victory.

Dickerson (2-1) bagged her second win of the year, going 6.0 innings and striking out two.

At the plate, the Bears drew six walks, which led to all three runs, and scattered four hits.

Game 2
Abilene Christian 7, Bears 2
Hunsaker and the MSU defense kept ACU (2-3) off the scoreboard through five innings, but the Wildcats went on to score seven runs over the last two frames to steal the nightcap, 7-2.

The Bears scored both of their runs courtesy of the long ball with Olivia Krehbiel and Alex Boze blasting a pair of solo shots.

The Bears looked to have a big inning going in the bottom of the second with Frost and Kelly Metter stringing together back-to-back infield hits. However, MSU left empty-handed after a bang-bang play at home on a bases-loaded ground ball kept the Bears from scoring.

Krehbiel's solo home run – her first collegiate dinger -- in the third broke the scoreless deadlock, sailing over the centerfield scoreboard to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead.

The score would remain 1-0 until the top of the sixth when the Wildcats scored three runs on five hits. ACU followed by scoring four in the seventh with three coming on a Samantha Bradley home run.

Boze, who went 2-for-2 at the plate, kick-started a Bears rally in the bottom of the seventh with her first home run of the season. MSU had back-to-back hitters reach base to apply the pressure, but ACU starter Samantha Bradley closed the door on the Bears. Bradley struck out 3 and allowed 6 MSU hits in a complete-game victory.

Hunsaker (0-2) retired seven of the first nine hitters she faced to start the game, finishing with 6 strikeouts in her 5.2 innings of work.

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