SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State racked up a season-high run total and used a seven-run second inning to propel the Bears to a 15-1 run-rule victory over visiting UIC here Saturday, securing a series sweep for MSU.

McKenzie Vaughan went 2-for-3 with a second-inning grand slam and also earned the victory in the circle (3-5), allowing just one earned run in 4.0 innings of work. The Bears also got three hits from Sidney McLaughlin and two hits, three runs and three RBI from Chloe Merced as part of a 13-hit attack.

MoState (4-19, 3-0 MVC) dodged some early bullets with UIC loading the bases in the first and second innings only to have Vaughan slam the door both times. 

The Bears capitalized on that momentum with a stellar second-inning surge that started with a hit batter and two UIC errors on fielder's choice plays. Merced then drove home a run ahead of a singles by Emily Gerardy and McLaughlin to make it 3-0. Vaughan then came up and blasted her fourth home run of the season over the left-center field fence to make it 7-0.

MoState added five more tallies in the third with Merced's first homer of the season -- a two-run shot -- starting the fireworks. Later, a triple by Gerardy and RBI double from McLaughlin tacked on one more before hits by Vaughan, Nicole Norman and RBI fielder's choice by EB Bobbitt made it 12-0.

The Bears added three more in the fourth with a sac fly by Gerardy and a two-run pinch homer by Lauren Rowland, her first, to make it 15-0. 

Aubrey Johansen pitched the final inning for the Bears, striking out one in a 1-2-3 fifth.

The Flames (4-22, 0-3) scattered nine hits on the day, including two singles from Leila Dixon. Dee Dee Caskey's two-out double in the fourth broke up the MSU shutout and brought Dixon around to score for the only run of the day for the visitors.

Missouri State will conference play Tuesday and Wednesday at SIU before returning home next weekend for a three-game set against Evansville, March 21-23 at Meador Park.