KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri State softball (18-26) dropped its final midweek matchup of the season 10-2 in five innings on the road at Kansas City (15-27).
Mo State got off to a good start in this one, posting two runs in the top of the first inning to grab an early lead. The Bears loaded the bases with one out following a
Riley Baber walk, a Kansas City error on a fielder's choice and a
Lauren Rowland single. Then,
Halle Studer was plunked by a pitch to bring the first run across. In the next at-bat,
Alexis Perales sent a sacrifice fly to center field to score the second run, but Rowland was thrown out trying to tag up to end the inning.
The Bears left a Roo stranded at second in the bottom of the first, but the second inning saw Kansas City snatch the momentum away from the visiting Bears. A two-out, two-RBI double knotted the game at 2-2 before the Roos opened things up in the third.
A Mo State error to start the third inning, followed by a bunt single and a sacrifice fly gave the Roos their first lead of the day at 3-2. Later, the Roos loaded the bases and did the majority of their damage with two outs on the board following a foul out. A single, a couple of walks and another Bears error let five more runs come across as Kansas City took an 8-2 lead.
After a quiet fourth inning for both squads, Kansas City ended the game early with a two-run fifth inning. With a runner on second and two outs, the Bears walked a batter and surrendered back-to-back singles, including a gap shot with bases loaded, to fall in five innings on the road.
Studer and Perales drove in Mo State's two runs on the evening, while Rowland and
Emily Gerardy accounted for the Bears' two hits. The Bears drew three walks and struck out just once on the day.
Missouri State is back on the road this weekend for a three-game Conference USA series at UTEP (April 24-26). All three games will stream on ESPN+.
#GoBears
