SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State scored a season-high 14 runs and picked up its fifth straight win with a 14-4 run-rule victory over Drake to complete a weekend sweep of the Bulldogs here Sunday afternoon.
 
The Bears (16-9, 7-1 MVC) earned their league-best seventh Missouri Valley Conference win by recording 11 hits and a season-high 10 walks in a 14-run effort that forced the Bulldogs (5-18, 1-5 MVC) to use five pitchers in the contest.  It was the heart of the MSU order that was credited with eight of the 12 RBIs for the Bears with Madison Hunsaker, Olivia Krehbiel and Darian Frost posting multi-RBI games.

"Today was another terrific all-around team effort," said head coach Holly Hesse following the game.  "We showed great patience at the plate that allowed us to capitalize on our opportunities and then we were able to attack with some really great hits that led to big innings for us, especially there in the fourth.  It's great to finish off the weekend with a sweep before a quick turnaround to play Kansas City on Tuesday." 

A couple of extra-base hits in the first inning served as an appetizer to MSU's big day at the plate.  Daphne Plummer kick-started things with a leadoff triple to stir up trouble from the get-go before Hunsaker brought the quick-footed Plummer home on a sac fly to left field.  Krehbiel kept the action going with a one-out single and then immediately swiping second base while Tess Weakly followed to drove in her fifth run of the weekend with a double to the center field wall, giving the Bears a 2-0 lead. 
 
MSU scored two more runs in the second and did so in a unique manner by not registering a hit in the inning, instead utilizing a keen eye at the plate and mixing in its small-ball game.  With Alex Boze and Meagan McCorkell drawing two of the Bears' five free passes in the inning, Plummer returned the opening-frame favor as this time she was the one with the sac fly RBI on a ball deep enough to score pinch-runner Ellie McCoy.  Later, Bailey Greenlee and Ashton Thomas teamed up on a double steal that allowed Greenlee to slide safely into home plate.
 
Drake made it a one-run game in the top of the third with Addie Lightner delivering a three-run blast to break open the scoring for the visitors side.
 
The Bears answered right back with their third consecutive two-run inning in the home half of the third by taking advantage of more control issues out of the Bulldogs pitching staff and earning back-to-back bases-loaded walks to cushion their lead to 6-3.
 
In the top of the fourth, the Bulldogs had their first three hitters reach safely to load the bases against Hunsaker, who came in at the start of the inning to relieve starter Steffany Dickerson.  A run-scoring fielder's choice breathed life into the opposing dugout, but the rally was quickly deflated after a line drive snared by Plummer allowed the Bears shortstop to double-up a Bulldogs runner and end the inning.
 
The decisive eight-run fourth inning began with Weakly and Metter hitting two straight singles with Metter's going all the way to the fence in right center to allow Weakly to score.  With back-to-back walks loading the bases for MSU, the Drake defense looked to have the damage minimized by getting the force out at home on consecutive at-bats before the Bears opened the floodgates with their next six batters all reaching safely.  Krehbiel and Frost connected on a pair of two-RBI hits to highlight the offensive assault and by the time Alex Boze capped the scoring on a wind-aided infield fly that fell to the dirt, MSU found themselves with a 10-run advantage.
 
With the mercy rule on the doorstep, Hunsaker worked a scoreless fifth and a diving catch from Metter out in left field ended things in appropriate fashion for the Bears' third run-rule victory of the season.  
 
In a game that featured an all-around effort on the stat sheet, MSU had seven players register a hit including multi-hit performances from Krehbiel, Weakly and Metter.  Frost notched her second double of the weekend while Plummer's opening-game triple was her second of the season.
 
After both pitchers earned a win in yesterday's two-game sweep, Dickerson and Hunsaker combined to get the job done in today's contest with Dickerson (7-5) going 3.0 innings before Hunsaker's two in relief.
 
Missouri State concludes the homestand with a non-conference matchup against Kansas City on Tuesday, March 30 with first pitch of the single-game contest scheduled for 5 p.m.