EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri State softball improved to 18-14 (11-3 MVC) this season with two victories against Evansville (20-17, 5-9 MVC) here on Friday afternoon.
 
With their wins by scores of 8-2 and 4-1, the Bears have now won 12 of their last 14 Missouri Valley Conference series.
 
Offensively, Annie Mueller led the way for the Bears in game one of the doubleheader. Mueller went 2-for-2 at the plate, including a double and a home run, while drawing two walks and driving in four runs. She was one of three Bears (ol Boze, Olivia Krehbiel) to hit a home run in the first game of the day. In game two of the doubleheader, Madison Hunsaker paced MSU at the plate, as she went 4-for-4 with three RBI. Daphne Plummer also contributed three hits and scored three runs in game two.
 
In the circle, Steffany Dickerson both wins on the day. She pitched 10.0 total innings, while allowing just one earned run and striking out seven Purple Aces. She is now 13-6 on the season and owns a 1.98 earned run average.
 
Game 1
Missouri State 8, Evansville 2
In game one of the doubleheader, the Bears jumped on the board first with a two-run second inning. Following a McKenzie Vaughan walk with one out, Mueller launched a home run to left field, the first of her career, to give MSU a 2-0 lead.
 
Evansville answered with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the second inning. The Bears would allow another baserunner in the inning, but Boze was able to throw the baserunner out attempting to steal second and help hold the Purple Aces at bay.
 
Krehbiel was able to extend MSU's lead back to two runs with a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning, her fourth long ball of the season.
 
With Dickerson cruising in the circle, Missouri State broke the game wide open in the sixth and seventh innings. After two one-out walks, Mueller once again delivered, this time with a double to right center field, collecting her third and fourth RBI of the game.
 
In the seventh, following a Dickerson walk with one out, Boze launched a two-run shot right center for her 10^th homer of the season, which leads the Bears this season. From there, the Bears were disciplined at the plate, drawing four consecutive walks to score an extra insurance run and take an 8-1 lead into the final frame.
 
The Purple Aces added a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Bears were able to secure the 8-2 series opening victory. In the circle, Dickerson threw 6.0 innings while giving up just three hits and one earned run en route to her 12^th victory of the year.
 
Game 2
Missouri State 4, Evansville 1
The Bears kept the momentum going from game one, scoring a run in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early lead. Plummer led the game off with a single and advanced to third on an Evansville error. Hunsaker singled in the next at-bat to score Plummer for her first of three RBI on the day as MSU took a 1-0 lead.
 
Plummer's run scored in the first marked the 100^th run of her career.
 
MSU tacked on its second run in the third inning after Plummer led the inning off with a triple to right center field. Once again, Hunsaker followed her up, this time with a double to right field to extend the Bear lead.
 
Evansville answered in the home half of the third inning with their first run of the game, following a double and a single to make it a 2-1 ballgame after three.
 
Both teams were quiet in the fourth and fifth innings before the Bears broke through with a single run in the final two innings. Boze led off the sixth with a double to left center and a Vaughan single to center field in the next at-bat scored pinch runner, Kat Taylor.
 
The Bears rounded out the scoring in the top of the seventh inning, as Plummer and Hunsaker both singled in the inning. An Evansville error allowed Plummer to advance to second on her single, then Hunsaker drove in her third run of the game with her base knock as MSU secured the 4-1 road victory and clinched the series over the Purple Aces.
 
Hunsaker drew the start in the circle, throwing 3.0 innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out three. Dickerson came on in relief, pitching 4.0 scoreless innings and earning the victory.
 
Missouri State will close out the series against the Purple Aces tomorrow in Evansville. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.