April 20, 2006

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

Springfield, Mo. - Missouri State's potent offense helped the Bears to a sweep over the visiting Saint Louis Billikens in a non-conference softball doubleheader in Springfield, Mo., on Thursday. Missouri State broke open game one with a six run sixth inning to secure an 8-1 win. In the nightcap, the Bears exploded for 12 hits en route to the 8-2 victory.

SLU (15-24), which came into the contest on a four-game scoring drought, got on the board quickly in the first game thanks to Ashlee Heady's solo home run in the first inning.

MSU (32-13) evened the score with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. The Bears then took a 2-1 lead with a run in the fifth before opening the floodgates in the sixth inning in which they plated six runs with the help of six hits and two costly Billiken errors.

Heady and Jill Pursell both managed two hits for the Billikens in the first game. Ashley Levan was tagged with the loss after allowing six earned runs on 11 hits and four walks.

In the second game, SLU again put an early run on the board before Missouri State's offense kicked in. Trailing 1-0, Christy Ernst singled and later advanced into scoring position after swiping her team-leading 10th base of the season. Pursell then stroked a two-out single to left field to plate Ernst and knot the game 1-1.

The Bears erased the tie with a four-run bottom half of the third to give them a 5-1 advantage. In the top of the fourth, SLU edged back to 5-2 after plating an unearned run, but that is as close as the Bills got as MSU tacked on two more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to cruise to the 8-2 win.

Lorena Floccari picked up the loss for SLU after allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits.

The Billikens will have to regroup quickly as they host Rhode Island on Friday in a crucial Atlantic 10 Conference matchup at the Billiken Sports Center. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m.