The Missouri State softball team fought their way to a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship last weekend. Their reward was an at large bid to the NCAA Division-1 Softball Tournament. Oh yeah, and a date with the top-ranked powerhouse UCLA Bruins.
Things didn’t turn out so well this time for the Bears as they were handed an 11-2 loss by the Bruins. Good thing for the Bears is this is a double-elimination tournament. Next, they will face San Diego State for a chance to move on and not have to return to Springfield.
Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Samantha Fleeman hit her 10th home run of the season. The home run tied a school record for homers in a season set by Ashley Meredith in 2004.
That was about all the Bears had to cheer for. UCLA scored three runs in the first inning and four more in the second to take a 7-0 lead. The Bears never got a chance to catch their breath. They scored single runs in the third and the sixth, but it was not nearly enough.