SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Indiana State softball team dropped a pair of road losses to Missouri State on Saturday, falling 8-7 in nine innings and 5-3. The Sycamores are now 18-29 (3-18 MVC), while the Bears are 16-28 (11-10 MVC).
Lindsey Beisser led the way at the plate, going 3-for-7 for the day with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The sophomore also had seven strikeouts, as did Meagan McCurdy, who appeared in relief in both games.
GAME 1 - MISSOURI STATE 8, INDIANA STATE 7 (9 INNINGS)
Indiana State jumped on the board first in the second inning when Stephanie Jonson sent a two-run homerun to right field to score herself and Lindsey Beisser for a 2-0 lead.
Missouri State, however, came back strong in the third, scoring five runs on five hits. Madison Hargrove drew a leadoff walk, then later scored on Tyler Porter's infield single. Jenna Schwark put the Bears on top with her grand slam to left field, clearing the bases and scoring Porter, Christa Gammon and Kirstin Cutter.
ISU chipped away at the deficit in the fourth when Alyssa Marcum drew a leadoff walk, and her pinch runner, Halee Myers, scored on a fielding error later in the inning to make it 5-3. In the fifth, the Bears put up another pair of runs when Caitlin Chapin sent a two-run roundtripper to centerfield, going ahead 7-3.
The Sycamores rallied for four runs in the sixth to tie the game at 7-7. Kellie Szablewski and Kacy Kestner both had infield singles, and Stephanie Robinson reached on an error to allow Szablewski to bring Szablewski in. Bailey Wittenauer's single to right plated Kacy Kestner, and a Lindsey Beisser double to right center scored both Robinson and Wittenauer.
The two squads took the game to extra innings, with MSU scoring its winning run in the ninth. Gammon, Porter and Schwark each had an infield single, with Gammon advancing and scoring on a throwing error for the final score at 8-7.
Lauren McGinley earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief work, while McCurdy took the loss after tossing 1.1 innings herself. Beisser, who went four innings in a starting role, finished with seven strikeouts for the day.
The Sycamores were led at the plate by Wittenauer and Beisser, who each had a pair of hits. Beisser also had a run scored and two RBI in addition to her starting pitching effort.
GAME 2 - MISSOURI STATE 5, INDIANA STATE 3
Indiana State scored immediately in the first inning of the second game with two runs on four hits. Leadoff Alyssa Doyle doubled down the left field line, then advanced to third and scored on Kestner's RBI single to third coupled with an MSU throwing error. Robinson reached on a bunt single and was later plated on Jonson's infield fly to second, spotting ISU with a 2-0 lead.
MSU burst back for two runs in the bottom of the frame, when an Ashley Knehans double to right center scored both Schwark and Porter to tie the game at 2-2. In the second, they took a 3-2 lead, when Bubba Weiss homered to center, but a fourth-inning run from Jonson on Alex Lucas' single to center kept it close at 3-3.
In the fifth inning, Gammon put the Bears ahead, 4-3, when she advanced to home on a fielder's choice. MSU tacked on its final run in the sixth with a Weiss single to right center, scoring Alaina Burkhart and making the winning score 5-3.
McGinley (6-9) threw 6.1 innings for the victory, surrendering three runs on six hits and walking two. McCurdy (8-17) took the loss with four innings of relief work, downing five batters and walking none.
Indiana State returns to action on Sunday, May 2, with the MSU series finale set for 1 p.m. (ET) in Springfield, Mo.
