MURRAY, Ky. – Missouri State softball (9-21, 7-2 MVC) opened the series with a 3-2 road victory at Murray State (10-19, 1-8 MVC) here Thursday night. 
 
This one saw a pitcher's duel until the final two innings of the game as both teams made late efforts to take the first game of the series. 
 
Murray State had a chance to score in the bottom of the first inning after a two-out double put a runner in scoring position. The next Racer batter sent a single to center field, but as the Murray State runner rounded third heading for home, MoState's Brynn Romine made a perfect throw and Alexis Perales applied the tag, ending the inning with no damage done. 
 
From there, both squads continued to put traffic on the basepaths, but couldn't push a run across. MoState left two runners on base in both the second and fourth innings, while Murray State stranded five runners across innings two through four. 
 
After a 1-2-3 inning for both sides in the fifth inning, Missouri State finally broke through in the top of the sixth. 
 
Sidney McLaughlin knocked a double down the left field line to get things rolling for the Bears offensively. Pinch runner Sofia King was then able to advance to third base after a Murray State error following a fly out. Perales then laid down a bunt and King was safe at home to give MoState the 1-0 lead with five-and-a-half innings in the books. 
 
Murray State responded immediately in the bottom of the sixth. A one-out double and a fly out that advanced the runner set the Racers up with a runner on third base and two outs on the board. A walk extended the inning, before an RBI single to right field knotted the game at 1-1. 
 
Locked in an intense battle, Missouri State landed the next punch, scoring two runs to take the lead in the top of the seventh. Chloe Merced got the rally started with a single to left field before Emily Gerardy moved her over with a sacrifice bunt. A fly out put the second out on the board, but then MoState worked two walks to load the bases full of Bears. That's when Riley Baber stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-RBI single through the left side, giving Missouri State a 3-1 advantage. 
 
The Racers made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh as Missouri State needed just three outs to secure the win. Back-to-back singles to begin the inning put the Bears in a jam early, but the first out of the inning was a grounder straight to McKenzie Vaughan, who tossed it over and got the lead runner out at third base. A sacrifice bunt allowed the Racer runners to advance, but put the Bears just one out away from the victory. It didn't come easy, though, as Murray State scored on a passed ball with the tying run advancing to third base. But the defense held strong and Vaughan forced a groundout to herself, securing the 3-2 series-opening win for MoState on the road. 
 
Baber led the Bears with two RBI on the evening, while four Bears recorded hits in the game. Vaughan earned her sixth win of the season in the circle, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing just one earned run on seven hits. Both Missouri State and Murray State combined for just three strikeouts and left 17 runners stranded. 
 
The Bears and Racers will close the series tomorrow (March 28) with a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. Both games will stream on ESPN+.