Box Score 1 ATHENS, Ga. – Missouri State softball kicked off its 2026 campaign at the Red and Black Showcase hosted by the University of Georgia on Friday. The Bears dropped both of their contests on the day, falling to Belmont, 9-0, and host Georgia, 10-1, in five innings.
 
Game 1
Belmont 9, Missouri State 0
The Bears faced off against Belmont, a former conference opponent, to get the season started. The story of game one was Belmont's Maya Johnson, who tossed a perfect game in the circle. Johnson fanned 15 Bears and used just 83 pitches to earn the perfect game.
 
Missouri State had three Bears make their debut in the maroon and white in the season opener. Despite allowing five runs to Belmont in the first frame, MoState held the Bruins off the board in four of seven innings on the morning, but it wasn't enough to combat the performance across the diamond in the 9-0 loss.
 
The trio of Makenzi Swick, transfer Paityn Engemann and freshman Emily Koranda combined to strike out five Bruins on the day.
 
Game 2
No. 20/15 Georgia 10, Missouri State 1 (5 Innings)
Game two saw the Bears face off against tournament host No. 20/15 Georgia and grab an early lead.
 
Missouri State struck in the top of the first inning as transfer Mya January collected the Bears' first hit of the season, a bunt single to the pitcher. A couple of batters later, January swiped second base to give the Bears a runner in scoring position. That's when sophomore Riley Baber dropped a single down the right field line to give the Bears a 1-0 lead after one.
 
Unfortunately, for the second game in a row, the Bears surrendered a five-spot in the first inning to trail 5-1 after one. The Bulldogs' second three-run homer of the game aided in a four-run second inning that gave Georgia a 9-1 lead after two in Athens.
 
MoState held Georgia scoreless in the third inning and avoided major damage in the fourth by allowing just one run and leaving the bases loaded full of Bulldogs. With the game in run-rule territory heading into the fifth, the Bears managed a baserunner via a Brynn Romine walk, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the game early with MoState falling 10-1.
 
Baber, January and Emily Evans contributed MoState's three hits on the afternoon, while Baber tallied an RBI. The Bears drew four walks in the contest and left five on base. Freshman Brylee Brewster earned her first career start in the circle, while Koranda came on in relief once again and struck out two Bulldogs in 2.2 innings of work.
 
Up Next
Missouri State is right back at it tomorrow for its second day at the Red and Black Showcase. MoState will face off against Belmont at 9:30 a.m. CT and Fordham at 5:00 p.m. CT.