Box Score

Columbia, Mo.- Mizzou improved to 3-1 on the season, downing the Cleveland State Vikings on the back end of a doubleheader Saturday.

The Tigers bounced back in their second contest of the day after falling to UCF in the morning. Freshman pitcher Paige Lowary (Dallas Center, Iowa) continued a strong start to her collegiate career. Lowary collected her second win in two days, racking up eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. She surrendered one run on three hits.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Mizzou knotted the score after sophomore Jordan Zolman (Arbyrd, Mo.) crushed a lead-off double in her first at bat of the season. Sophomore Anna Reed (Lonedell, Mo.) pinch ran for Zolman and a CSU error on an infield pop allowed her to score from second.

Mizzou and CSU were deadlocked in a 1-1 tie until the bottom of the fifth. Senior C Alyssa Cousins (Carollton, Texas) sparked the big inning with a pinch-hit double to left field. Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.) reached on an infield single to put two runners on, setting the table for junior Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.).

Fagan crushed the team's first home run of the 2015 campaign, a three-run blast to give the Tigers a 4-1 advantage. She has a team-leading six RBI through Mizzou's first four games.

Sophomore pitcher Cheyenne Baxter (Norborne, Mo.) entered in the sixth frame to relieve Lowary. Baxter threw 1.2 efficient innings, securing her first career save in the outing.

Mizzou is back in action on Sunday, Feb. 15. The Tigers take on South Dakota State at 10:30 a.m. CT to wrap up play at the Dot Richardson Invitational. For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouSoftball.