BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Missouri State softball (11-10) dropped its first Conference USA series with 4-3 and 8-0 losses at Western Kentucky on Friday.
 
Game 1
Western Kentucky 4, Missouri State 3
Missouri State suffered a tough loss to open its Conference USA season, falling 4-3 in walk-off fashion.
 
The Bears got off to a great start, knocking back-to-back solo homers in the top of the first inning for the second game in a row to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Riley Baber homered for the second straight game with a solo shot to left center, before Aubrey Johansen followed with a long ball to center field.
 
From there, the pitching and defense on both squads settled in, posting zeroes across the board from the second through the fifth inning. In that span, MoState had one baserunner and the Bears' defense allowed just one walk and two hits.
 
With the game moving along quickly, Missouri State added a third run in the top of the sixth inning off yet another solo home run. Halle Studer was the batter this time as she sent the first pitch she saw over the wall in center field to make it 3-0 in favor of the Bears.
 
Following a double play and a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth to keep the Hilltoppers off the board, MoState was just three outs away from victory. Unfortunately, WKU didn't go down without a fight and posted four runs in the seventh inning to walk off the Bears in the series opener. With two runners on and one out, Western Kentucky hit three straight singles to put two runs on the board and pull within one of Missouri State. After a pitching change, with the bases loaded and still one out, a two-RBI single to left field for the Hilltoppers served as the walk-off hit to down the Bears 4-3.  
 
All of Missouri State's runs in game one came via solo home runs and the Bears tallied four total hits.
 
Game 2
Western Kentucky 8, Missouri State 0 (5 innings)
The momentum Western Kentucky gained to end the first game rolled into the second game as the Hilltoppers topped the Bears in five innings.
 
After a quiet first inning, WKU produced a huge inning with seven runs in the bottom of the second. All seven runs were scored via the long ball, first with a three-run homer and then followed by a couple of two-run home runs.
 
Missouri State managed just two baserunners across the first four innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, a leadoff double eventually set up an RBI single for WKU to push the game into run-rule territory at 8-0.
 
The Bears tried to make some noise in the bottom of the fifth, using a single, a fielder's choice and error and a walk to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, the Bears weren't able to extend the game as a strikeout and ground out ended the inning and the game.
 
UP NEXT
Missouri State will play the final game of the series at Western Kentucky on Sunday, March 8 at Noon.