CONWAY, Ark. – Missouri State freshman Bailey Greenlee threw a no-hitter and got plenty of run support Friday as the Bears blanked Coppin State, 13-0, on day two of the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic here.
Bailey, a right-hander from Snohomish, Wash., struck out three, walked two and hit a batter in a five-inning, complete-game appearance to notch the 16th no-hit pitching performance in Missouri State history. She faced 19 batters in the run-ruled contest and improved to 3-0 in the circle.
Her teammates pounded out 13 hits to lift the Bears (11-7) to their third straight victory. Kyana Mason went 3-for-3 with a walk and her second homer of the season, while Payton Minnis – another MSU freshman — was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to lead the Missouri State attack.
“To have a freshman come out and compete like Bailey did today is really amazing,” said MSU head coach Holly Hesse. “She had good command, trusted her defense and stayed focused. We are very proud of her to come in and throw a no-hitter in just her fourth career start.
“On the offensive side, seven different players drove home runs, and everybody really contributed. You can’t put a price tag on run support, and they really came through in a big way today.”
The Bears scored multiple runs in each of the first four innings and plated a single run in the fifth to complete the shutout of the Eagles (1-1).
In the first, the Bears scored four times on five hits with Mason blasting a homer to left center to start the contest. Rachel Weber doubled home another run in the opening inning before a two-run single by Minnis made it 4-0.
The Bears tacked on two more in the second on a bases-loaded single by Madison Hunsaker to give MSU a six-run lead and extend her hitting streak to 17 games. Then, in the third, MSU plated four more with a base hit by Minnis, a two-run double from Daphne Plummer, and an RBI double by Steffany Dickerson.
Hesse’s squad kept the pressure on Coppin State in the fourth, as Weber used some fancy base running to make it 11-0 before a base hit to right by Mason pushed the Bears ahead by a dozen. Darby Joerling provided the final run in the fifth with a bases-loaded walk.
Coppin State didn’t get a runner past first base until the bottom of the fifth when Greenlee walked her second batter of the inning, but the Bears’ defense secured the shutout and no-hit performance on the next hitter with a ground ball to Plummer to end the game.
The Eagles used three different pitchers and surrendered 12 earned runs, nine walks and no strikeouts.
Missouri State wraps up the tournament on Saturday with a pair of games against regional rivals SEMO (11:15 a.m.) and host Central Arkansas (1:30 p.m.) at Farris Field.
Courtesy of: Missouri State Athletics Communications
