ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE 1] [BOX SCORE 2] [BOX SCORE 3] Missouri Baptist Softball traveled south to Gulf Shores, Ala. this weekend for the Gulf Coast Invitational, a tournament featuring 30 of the NAIA's top teams. MBU began play Friday and Saturday with a 1-2 record.

They split on day one with an opening 3-2 win in extras over College of Coastal Georgia and a 6-1 loss to No. 22 LSU-Alexandria. MBU also fell 4-1 to No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett.

Sophomore Meagan Elder was the hero from the Spartans in game one. With the game tied 2-2 against Coastal Georgia, the international tiebreaker rule took effect in the eighth inning. Andrea Chessor went to second base with nobody out and was sacrificed to third by Emily Robinson. Two batters later, a single from Elder scored Chessor to give MBU the walk-off win.

MBU scored its first two runs in the second inning before CCG tied the game. Elder helped register the Spartans first run of the game when she singled in Robinson. Rachel Galbraith later singled home Elder to give MBU the 2-0 lead. Both Elder and Pam Diaz had two hits in the game. Chessor tossed eight innings of two-run ball to pick up the win.

The Generals jumped ahead of MBU in the second game. No. 22 LSU-A led 4-0 early and despite 10 hits, the Spartans only managed one run. Diaz and Jordan Corby combined to go 5-for-7 at the top of the Spartan lineup. Corby singled home Macey Wienstroer in the top of the fifth.

Elder also had a two-hit game for the navy and white. Delissa Dennison and Kaylee Schrand combined to scatter six runs over six innings of work.

On Saturday, another tough task in No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett faced off with MBU. Stephanie Worth powered MBU ahead 1-0 with a solo home run in the bottom of the third. The Grizzlies fought back with four unanswered runs and won 4-1.

Worth ended her day 2-for-3 from the dish. Chessor scattered nine hits over seven innings and allowed the four runs. The Spartans defeated Faulkner and Concordia (Mich.) on Sunday to close the tournament. They fell 3-2 to College of Coastal Georgia to leave Gulf Shores 3-3 in the team's six games. Stats and highlights of Sunday's games will be posted to mbuspartans.com shortly.