Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Season Stats
 
OXFORD, Miss. – Missouri State couldn't capitalize on pitcher Steffany Dickerson's one-hitter against Ole Miss and fell 1-0 to the host team in the round-robin finale of the Ole Miss Classic here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bears then dropped a 3-1 decision to California Baptist in the semifinal round, sending MSU to Sunday's third-place game against Jackson State.
 
"I was really pleased with our pitching again today, they kept us in both games," said head coach Holly Hesse.  "Steff was lights out against a really good offensive team in Ole Miss.  Offensively, we came up short on the day and couldn't back up our pitchers, but our hitting will come around as we continue to get at-bats in."
 
MSU (5-8) will play the consolation game Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
 
Game 1
Ole Miss 1, Bears 0
Dickerson (3-3) held Ole Miss to just one hit in the contest, but the Rebels plated the game's only run in the second to steal a 1-0 victory.   
 
Anna Borgen (3-1) kept the Bears offense in check, throwing seven innings of scoreless ball and striking out five.  MSU outhit the Rebels, 5-1, and had baserunners in each of the first five innings, but couldn't string together enough hits to break the scoring drought.
 
The Rebels (9-10) scored the game's only run without recording a hit.  A leadoff walk from Sydney Gutierrez turned into Ole Miss taking a 1-0 lead after a 5-4-3 groundout allowed pinch-runner Katelin Cooper, who advanced to third on a sac bunt and wild pitch, to cross home plate.  
 
A one-out double from Daphne Plummer looked to give the Bears some life in the top of the third.  Payton Minnis followed by laying down a textbook bunt to reach on an infield hit, but Plummer rounded too sharply at third and was picked off to halt the momentum.
 
The Bears followed with another scoring opportunity in the fourth after Olivia Krehbiel led off the inning with an infield hit to the 5-6 hole and Kelly Metter reached courtesy of a walk.  Both runners moved up on a Madison Hunsaker groundout, but advanced no further after the next two MSU hitters were retired. 
 
Plummer recorded her second multi-hit game in as many days to pace MSU at the plate.
 
Game 2
CBU 3, Bears 1
Erin Griesbauer (2-3) made her fourth start in the circle, going 4.1 innings and allowing three runs. Madison Hunsaker then pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Bears within striking distance in a 3-1 semifinal loss to California Baptist. 
 
CBU (7-12) took advantage of a pair of singles in the top half of the second to strike first.  Amanda Argomaniz dropped a soft liner to center to put the Lancers in business and Molly Kollander followed with a two-out hit to tally the first RBI of the game.
 
Tess Weakly opened up the scoring for MSU in the third, smacking a double to the right field wall to tie the game at 1-1. Minnis flew home on Weakly's third RBI of the tournament after reaching on an infield hit and moving over to second on a passed ball. 
 
The Lancers broke the deadlock in the fifth after stringing together three hits to bring the game-winning runs across.  Mackenzie Budinger drove in the first run of the inning with a triple to the gap in right center.  She came home to score on Argomaniz's two-out single to deliver CBU all the insurance they would need. 
 
The Bears' 2-3-4 hitters of Minnis, Weakly, and Krehbiel combined to go 6-10 in the contest with Weakly increasing her reached-base streak to nine straight games. Hannah Heinrichs chipped in the other hit for MSU with her sixth-inning single.