MOBILE, Ala. – Missouri State softball (1-5) earned its first win of the season following a 3-1 victory over South Alabama (1-4) in the second game of the tournament. The Bears dropped the first game of the day, 8-1, to Rutgers (6-0).
 
Offensively, Annie Mueller led the Bears with two hits on the day, while Kelsie Lewis drove in three runs on a homer in game two. In the circle, freshman Makenzie Swick tossed two scoreless innings against Rutgers, while senior Gracie Johnston earned her first victory of the season with a complete-game against USA.
 
 
Game 1 – Rutgers 8, Missouri State 1
Missouri State got off to a slow start to kick off the Mardi Gras Classic, finding themselves down 6-0 after the first two innings against Big Ten opponent Rutgers.
 
Rutgers put up three runs in each of the first two innings, before tacking on a seventh run in the third frame via a sacrifice fly.
 
The Bears broke through in the fourth after Olivia Krehbiel led off the top half of the inning with a triple and Mueller knocked her home with an RBI-single to left field in the next at-bat.
 
After giving up a single run in the fourth, Missouri State trailed by seven runs as freshman Swick entered the game in relief and pitched two scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth innings. However, the deficit was too much for the Bears to overcome, as they fell in the tournament opener, 8-1.
 
Swick was a bright spot in the circle for MSU as she tossed two innings, while allowing no runs and striking out two. She faced the minimum number of batters in just her second appearance of the season.
 
Offensively, Mueller picked up MSU's only RBI, while Krehbiel went 1-for-2 with a triple and walk.
 
 
Game 2 – Missouri State 3, South Alabama 1
Missouri State's second game of the day was a pitcher's duel with neither team owning a hit through the first three innings.
 
MSU finally opened up the scoring in the top half of the fourth inning off a Lewis three-run homer to right center to put MSU out in front. Lewis drove home Krehbiel and Mueller, who reached earlier in the inning courtesy of a walk and single to left field, respectively.
 
Tournament host South Alabama had an answer in the home half of the fourth as they knocked three consecutive singles to score a run. However, Johnston limited the damage, with MSU throwing out a Jaguar trying to score from first for the first out of the inning. USA then had runners on second and third with two outs following a sacrifice bunt, but Johnston forced a fly out to end the inning and hold on to MSU's lead.
 
South Alabama threatened again in the sixth inning, but yet another fly out with two runners on and two outs got MSU out of the frame unscathed. Johnston then polished off the win in the seventh as Missouri State secured its first victory of the season.
 
Johnston tossed a gem in the circle, allowing just one earned run on six hits while striking out four Jaguars in a complete-game effort. She allowed a single walk and gave up no extra base hits as she improved to 1-1 on the season.
 
Lewis' (1-for-2, 3 RBI, BB) home run in the fourth that propelled MSU to the victory marked the first of her career, while her three RBI were a career high.
 
Missouri State returns for day two of the Mardi Gras Class with two more ballgames tomorrow (Feb. 18). The Bears take on Mississippi Valley State at 10 a.m., before a rematch with South Alabama at 3 p.m.