Box Score STILLWATER, Okla. – Missouri State softball (6-20) put together a good showing at No. 8 Oklahoma State (27-5) before ultimately falling, 9-3, here Tuesday evening. 
 
OSU got on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, before extending the lead to 3-0 in the second with a single, triple and RBI ground out. 
 
Missouri State put the pressure on offensively multiple times throughout the game. The Bears loaded the bases in the second with an Annie Mueller leadoff double, followed by an Alexis Perales single and Ellie McCoy's first hit by pitch of the day. MSU left the bases loaded, but it would set the tone for the following innings. 
 
The Bears finally broke through in the third, scoring the first run of the game with a couple of singles before Olivia Krehbiel scored on an OSU error on the fielder's choice. In the next at-bat, Abby Ford took advantage of a passed ball and throwing error on the catcher, sliding under the tag at home to make it a one-run ballgame. 
 
Missouri State threatened again in the fourth inning after Emily Shipman led the inning off with a double down the left field line. With an out on the board, back-to-back walks loaded the bases full of Bears, but the opportunity slipped away from MSU with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. 
 
Oklahoma State homered to lead off the bottom of the fourth and tacked on another run with an RBI-double to push the lead to 5-2 after four. Stillwater native Makenzi Swick came on in relief following the double and shut the door with a called third strike. 
 
With one out on the board in the fifth, freshman Alexis Perales launched a solo homer to left field to bring MSU back within two runs. McCoy was then hit by a pitch and Sidney McLaughlin singled through the right side to put two runners on with one out. Unfortunately, the Bears again ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. 
 
The Cowgirls responded with a big inning in the home half of the fifth, putting the game out of reach. OSU scored four runs on a couple of two-run homers to extend the lead to 9-3 with five innings in the books at Cowgirl Stadium. 
 
Missouri State managed a couple of baserunners in the sixth and one in the seventh, but couldn't put a big rally together, ultimately falling 9-3 on the road against the eighth-ranked Cowgirls. 
 
The Bears left 12 runners on base in the contest, but Missouri State knocked eight hits and played a clean game defensively. Perales led the way for MSU offensively, going 2-for-4 with a homer. Meanwhile, Kayla Ulrich, Mueller and Shipman each recorded a double and McCoy had three hit by pitches for free passes. 
 
Missouri State returns home this week for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Murray State. The Bears and Racers will play a doubleheader on Friday (March 29) beginning at 1:00 p.m., before closing the series on Saturday (March 30) at 12:00 p.m.