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

OXFORD, Miss. – Missouri State swept its opening day at the Ole Miss Classic here Friday with Steffany Dickerson throwing a complete-game shutout to secure a 1-0 victory over California Baptist in the matinee, followed by an impressive 4-2 win over Jackson State in game two.
 
The Bears (5-6) totaled five runs on 17 hits while Dickerson and Erin Griesbauer combined to fan 13 hitters in their 14.0 innings of work today.
 
"Both starters (Dickerson and Griesbauer) were phenomenal again today for us in the eight-foot circle," said head coach Holly Hesse.  "We are continuing to improve at the plate and it showed with double-digit hits there in the second game.  It's always good when you can go 2-2 on the day and hopefully we carry today's success into the rest of the weekend."
 
MSU continues the three-day tournament with a game against host Ole Miss on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. before wrapping up the day with a semifinal matchup at either 3:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.  The Bears will find out their time and opponent once round-robin play has concluded on Saturday.
 
Game 1
Bears 1, CBU 0
Going the distance in the circle, Dickerson (3-2) struck out seven hitters and allowed just five baserunners to register her second complete-game shutout of the season.
 
Tess Weakly's RBI-double in the third proved to be all the scoring the Bears would need to take the tournament opener.
 
Daphne Plummer set the stage for the Bears in the third, leading off the inning with a single to right field.  She came around to score the game's lone run after Weakly stroked her double to the center field wall.
 
Dickerson made quick work of the CBU (5-11) lineup through the first three innings of play, taking a no-hit bid with her into the bottom of the fourth.  After a two-out double from the Lancers Caitlyn Lloyd, the Bears ace blew one by the following CBU batter, Nicole Stark, for one of her seven strikeouts in the game.
 
The Bears looked to tack on an insurance run in the top of the fourth.  Payton Minnis raced to first on an infield hit that had just enough spin to stay fair.  A Lancers error put Minnis at third and Kelly Metter at second with one out, but CBU's Amanda Hernandez induced a lineout and groundout to halt the MSU threat
 
Plummer and Weakly combined for four of the Bears' six hits in the game.  The MSU duo were quick to extend their on-base streak as they both recorded first-inning hits to make it six straight games the pair has reached base safely in.
 
Game 2
Bears 4, JSU 2
Weakly and Metter each sent solo blasts over the outfield wall to punctuate an 11-hit game at the plate for the Bears.
 
In her fourth start of 2020, Griesbauer (2-2) struck out six while both runs went unearned in a complete-game outing for the senior hurler. 
 
For the sixth straight game, Missouri State was the first team to score, plating the game's first run in the bottom of the second.  Abi LaValley provided MSU with the early lead as her two-out single found the gap in right center to score Kelly Metter.  Metter, who singled on a laser through the left side, stole second to put herself into scoring position and tee up LaValley's second RBI of the year.
 
Weakly's third dinger of the year highlighted a two-run inning for the Bears in the bottom of the third.  Bailey Greenlee led the inning off by legging out an infield hit and stole second on Plummer's ensuing at-bat.  After advancing to third on a grounder, Greenlee raced home on a sac fly from Madison Hunsaker.  Weakly followed with her solo shot to right center to push the MSU lead to 3-0.
 
Metter extended the lead in the fourth as she led the inning off with her first home run of the season.  The junior outfielder, who finished the game a perfect 3-3 at the dish, smashed a no-doubter over the fence in left field to cap the Bears' scoring in the game.
 
Jackson State (6-8) capitalized on a pair of Bears miscues to score both of their runs in the top of the sixth.  An error and a pass ball led to the Tigers snapping MSU's 12-inning scoreless streak.  Moments later Isabel Gusman followed with a two-out double to trim the Bears' cushion, but Griesbauer snagged a ground ball on the following at-bat to end the inning.
 
Three Bears recorded multi-hit games at the plate with Weakly and Metter both going a perfect 3-3 while LaValley added a two-hit game to her ledger.