NORMAL, Ill. – Snapping its 10-game losing streak, the Missouri State softball team took down No. 6 seeded Drake, 2-1, at the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Thursday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium.
“I am so proud of this team,” head coach Holly Hesse said. “We’ve had to fight over and over again through our last 10 games and this team is so good at getting back up to continue the fight. We hit into two double plays and had an error early on that could’ve brought us down, but we got back up and fought hard to come back and get the win.”
The Bulldogs jumped on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead over the Bears in the bottom of the second after a Missouri State throwing error allowed Drake’s Tasha Alexander to reach home safely.
Beginning with a leadoff single from senior Elena Gambill, MSU came charging back in the top of the sixth. The following at-bat, Madison Jones reached base thanks to a single of her own. With no outs and a runner in scoring position, senior Mary Stephens stepped up to the dish and blasted a stand-up double well over the Drake right fielder’s head to bring in Gambill and Jones – giving the Bears its first and final lead of the game.
“You always love when your seniors lead the way for your team,” Hesse said. “Elena got the inning started and the Mary came through with a huge hit. Elena also had the diving catch to preserve the no-hitter so it goes to show that our seniors are laying it all out there are that’s what I love to see from this group.”
Tossing the first no-hitter of the MVC Tournament in fourteen years, MSU starter Holly Kelley became the third pitcher in MVC Tournament history to throw a no-hitter in a complete game. After the second inning, she prevented the Bulldogs from scoring the remainder of the game as she and the Bear defense retired a whopping 14 consecutive batters.
“It’s huge to throw a no-hitter at the conference tournament,” Hesse explained. “Not many pitchers do that in their career and Holly was just spot on today. I thought she hit her targets well, her riseball was moving well and her screwball was giving them a lot of trouble. Holly gave us what we really needed in the eight-foot circle.”
With the 2-1 victory, head coach Holly Hesse picked up her 50th career MVC Tournament win and MSU continues to lead the league with 72 tournament victories. The Bears continue action in the MVC Tournament tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. against No. 3 seeded Southern Illinois. The game will be live streamed on The Valley on ESPN3 and live stats will be available.
