DES MOINES, Iowa – Missouri State softball fell to 25-18 (18-7 MVC) this season after falling 8-0 in the regular season finale at Drake (20-28, 14-12 MVC).
 
In the rubber match, Drake jumped out to an early lead and was able to shut down the Bears to take the series.
 
The Bulldogs drove in two runs in the first off of a leadoff home run and an RBI double later in the inning to take a 2-0 lead after one. Drake then took advantage of a couple of hits and a free pass to tack on a third run in the second inning.
 
MSU settled in and produced two consecutive 1-2-3 innings, but the fifth inning proved to be the turning point of the game as Drake tallied five runs in the fifth to secure the run-rule victory over Missouri State. The Bulldogs were able to score their runs via three hits, a couple of free passes and an error.
 
Despite not being able to push a run across, Olivia Krehbiel, Alex Boze and Steffany Dickerson continued to be solid at the plate, with each contributing a hit for their fourth hits of the series.
 
Missouri State will return home to host the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship next week. The Bears will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and they will play their first game on Friday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m.