ARLINGTON, Texas – Missouri State softball opened up its weekend at the Boerner Invitational with a split in day one of the action here Friday at Allan Saxe Field.

After falling 8-1 to Wichita State in game one, the Bears (7-4) bounced back in a big way to clobber Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, 11-0 in five innings in the nightcap.

Game 1
WSU 8, Bears 1
A grand slam off the bat of Ryleigh Buck capped a six-run fifth inning and broke the game open for the Shockers (6-2) on their way to handing the Bears an 8-1 setback. 
 
The MSU lineup was stymied for most of the game by WSU's all-conference pitcher, Erin McDonald (3-1) who held the Bears to five hits and allowed two walks.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Shockers drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to score the game's first two runs before Buck cleared the bases and turned a scoreless battle into a 6-0 advantage for WSU within a half inning.
 
Buck continued her big day at the plate after she added her second home run of the game in the top of the seventh.  The WSU third baseman drove in six of the Shockers eight runs.
 
The Bears etched a run off of McDonald in the bottom of the seventh after Bailey Greenlee raced to third on a one-out triple.  Meagan McCorkell plated Greenlee on her single to left field to give the sophomore her second straight run-scoring pinch-hit after she hit a three-run homer against Western Illinois last weekend (Feb. 26).
 
Dickerson (2-3) pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one earned run in her fifth start of the season.  She used all four of her strikeouts to work herself out of jams in the first and third innings.  The Shockers loaded the bases in the opening frame, but the righty hurler took care of the final two outs with a strikeout and a groundout back to the circle.  In the third, Dickerson picked up two clutch K's on her way to striking out the side after back-to-back WSU singles put another runner in scoring position. 
 
Greenlee recorded three of MSU's five hits in the contest, going a perfect 3-3 at the dish while tallying her first triple of the season.
 
Game 2
Bears 11, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi 0 (5 inn.)
Missouri State hung up a pair of five-run innings – bolstered by three home runs – to run-rule the Islanders (7-7), 11-0 in game two.
 
Kelly Metter and Ellie McCoy combined to drive in seven of the 11 runs and belted the Bears' three home runs with Metter registering the first multi-HR game for MSU since Mary Stephens' on Feb. 10, 2017.  Metter's 4-RBI game was the third of her career after recording one in 2019 and 2020.
 
Backed by a bevy of run support, Gracie Johnston (2-0) was able to cruise to her second victory of the season.  She gave up four hits and fanned six while allowing just one Islanders runner to advance past second base in her five innings of scoreless work.
 
After putting the Bears on the scoreboard in the second inning with a solo shot, Metter joined Ellie McCoy in delivering a one-two punch in the third with the duo connecting on a pair of shots to account for MSU's first five-run inning.  With Madison Hunsaker and Olivia Krehbiel reaching by way of a free pass and a hit-by-pitch, Metter's second home run of the game kick-started the big inning.  McCoy notched her first career long ball after Greenlee's double to push MSU's advantage to 6-0.
 
In the Bears' five-run fifth inning, McCoy picked up another RBI on a bases-loaded single.  On the next at-bat, Alex Boze reached on an Islanders miscue that turned into a costly error with three Bears coming across the plate to score.  Meagan McCorkell's ensuing RBI single closed out the Bears' offensive assault.
 
Greenlee added another extra-base hit to her day with her third-inning double after she hit a triple in game one against Wichita State.  Krehbiel, McCorkell, and Daphne Plummer chipped in the remaining hits for MSU.
 
Missouri State returns for day two of the weekend tournament tomorrow (March 6) with games against North Texas (9 a.m.) and UT Arlington (4:30 p.m.)