Friday, February 24
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
7-3
7
vs
5
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North Florida
7-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
North Florida
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
5
6
1
Mississippi State
3
0
0
2
2
0
X
7
13
4
Morgan Bell blasted a solo homer to put the Bulldogs up for good against North Florida on Friday.
Long Ball Spearheads Friday Sweep For MSU Softball
February 24, 2017 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A trio of home runs highlighted a hot start to the February Freezer on Friday for Mississippi State softball, as the Bulldogs took down North Florida and Eastern Illinois at Nusz Park.
Morgan Bell, Reggie Harrison and Olivia Golden each had a bomb on the day. Bell's represented the winning run in the day's first contest against North Florida. Harrison launched the second of her MSU career in the first inning against EIU and Golden followed with a solo shot in the fifth, the first of her career.
Overall, the Bulldogs received five multi-hit performances on the day, including three-hit showings from Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore in the day's first game.
"We came out and did a good job. We had 13 hits in the first game and that's always huge to put up those kinds of numbers," sixth-year head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore were both sparks at the top of the lineup. Their speed is tough to handle and then we had some really well-hit balls, especially home runs from Reggie Harrison, Morgan Bell and Olivia Golden. I would like to clean up the defense a little, but if we can put it all together we have a really nice team."
State opened the day in dominating fashion, as sophomore Regan Green went three up, three down in the first. The Bulldogs' first at-bat of the day also presented their first hit, as Robinson tripled to center field. After a Kat Moore infield single, the Ospreys committed a failed pickoff attempt that drove both runners home. Later in the inning, Katie Anne Bailey drove in a third run on a single to the pitcher.
Up 3-0, Green kept UNF quiet and the Bulldog bats went back to work in the fourth. Moore dropped in another infield single, this time bringing home both Robinson and Emily Heimberger to make the MSU lead 5-0.
Despite being down, UNF did not relent. A pair of MSU fielding errors would score the Ospreys' first run and load the bases, setting up a grand slam that would tie things up at 5-5. However, the tie would not last long.
After taking the opening pitch for a ball, Bell launched one to left center, pushing MSU back into the lead. State would tack on the final run of the game later in the inning, as Heimberger scored on a wild pitch.
From there, Alexis Silkwood came on to close out the game, earning the second save of her senior campaign and moving her to tied for sixth on the MSU career saves list.
In the Dogs' second game, they once again opened up the scoring early. Robinson would reach on a leadoff single, which would set up a two-run opposite field homer for Harrison, her second bomb of the season. MSU kept the scoring going in the second, as a fielding error helped to push Heimberger in for a run, making it 3-0.
The Panthers would try to mount a comeback in the third, scoring one via an MSU mishap. However, Holly Ward kept EIU at bay with a total of seven strikeouts in her first complete game showing of the year.
MSU added on an insurance run in the fifth thanks to the power of Golden, who sent one soaring through the trees in left field. Golden's first-career home run sealed the final score at 4-1.
"Olivia Golden has been through a ton of injuries, so that was a special moment for her and for all of us. Everybody in the dugout was fired up for her because of everything she's been through," Stuedeman said.
The 13 hits in game one for MSU marked the most since tallying 15 against Ole Miss on March 21, 2015. The Bulldogs' multi-home run game against EIU is the first since hitting a pair of homers against SIU-Edwardsville on Feb. 20, 2016.
State will now face Southern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 12:30 p.m. CT. Following that contest, the February Freezer field will be seeded, with the one and four seeds facing off at 3 p.m., and the two and three seeds battling at 5:30 p.m.
2017 February Freezer Schedule…
Friday, Feb. 24
Game 1 – Eastern Illinois def. Southern Illinois, 7-0
Game 2 – Southern Illinois def. North Florida, 5-3
Game 3 - Mississippi State def. North Florida, 7-5
Game 4 - Mississippi State def. Eastern Illinois, 4-1
Saturday, Feb. 25
Game 5 – North Florida vs. Eastern Illinois - 10 a.m. CT
Game 6 - Mississippi State vs. Southern Illinois - 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 7 - 1 Seed vs. 4 Seed - 3 p.m. CT
Game 8 - 2 Seed vs. 3 Seed - 5:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 26
Game 9 - Consolation Game - 11 a.m. CT
Game 10 - Championship Game - 1:30 p.m. CT
Scoring Plays Versus North Florida…
1st Inning – A failed pickoff attempt puts the first runs of the game on the board, bringing home both Kat Moore and Bevia Robinson
1st Inning – Katie Anne Bailey singles to the pitcher and pushes home Caroline Seitz, making the Bulldog lead 3-0
4th Inning – Kat Moore gets a infield single, her second of the game so far, to bring home both Bevia Robinson and Emily Heimberger
5th Inning – After UNF ties it up with a grand slam, Morgan Bell responds with a crushing solo homer over the left center wall, giving the lead back to MSU, 6-5
5th Inning – A wild pitch adds an insurance run for the Dogs, as Emily Heimberger scores
Scoring Plays Versus Eastern Illinois…
1st Inning – Reggie Harrison hits a two-run jack over the wall in a right, her second home run of the year, to put MSU up 2-0 to start off the day's second game
2nd Inning – A Panther error makes Harrison safe at first and helps to bring home Emily Heimberger, pushing State's lead to 3-0
5th Inning – For the first time in her career, Olivia Golden sends one over the fence, as she smashes one over the fence in left, sealing MSU's victory at 4-1
Bulldog Home Run Tracker…
Robinson And Moore Dominate Top Of The Lineup…
Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore led off the Bulldog lineup in both games on Friday, going a total of 8-for-14 on the day. They each tallied a three-hit performance in the day's first game, which is a career-best performance for both.
Of the four hits for Robinson, one was a triple, the first of her career.
Ward On Fire Against The Panthers…
Junior righty Holly Ward was dominant all game long against Eastern Illinois. For the day, she threw seven strikeouts and only allowed one run, which was unearned, in her first complete game of 2017. The seven strikeouts came one short of tying her career high of eight, set last season against Georgia Southern (2/11/16).
Golden's First-Career Homer…
Fifth-year Bulldog Olivia Golden has battled through numerous injuries over her career and is looking to close out her MSU career with a bang. After a solid showing in Mexico, Golden kicked off her time in the February Freezer with a bang. Golden launched a rocket of a home run into the trees in left field, marking the first home run of her career.
Silk Climbing Up The Career Saves Chart…
Senior lefty Alexis Silkwood came in and shut down the North Florida Ospreys in the day's first game, earning her second save of the year. For her career, Silkwood now has six saves, which moves her into a tie for sixth in the MSU record books.
She also added a pair of strikeouts, leaving her just six strikeouts away from setting the MSU school record for strikeouts. She currently stands second with 468. Alison Owen (2013-14) holds the career record with 473.
Live Video…
All of Mississippi State's games will be broadcasted on SEC Network +.
MSU vs. Southern Illinois
MSU vs. TBA (Game 4 - Saturday)
MSU vs. TBA (Game 5 - Sunday)
Live Stats…
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all 10 games this weekend. Live stats can be found here or by visiting hailstate.com/livestats.
Admission…
All matches at Nusz Park this weekend, as well as the entire season, are free admission.
Promotions…
A list of this weekend's promotions are listed below.
Saturday, Feb. 25
MSU vs. Southern Illinois (12:30 p.m.); MSU vs. TBD (3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.)
- Free admission
- Free gift cards and prizes throughout the games
Sunday, Feb. 26
MSU vs. TBD (11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.)
- Free admission
- Free gift cards and prizes throughout the games
- "Kids' Day At The Park" (Sponsored by LeBonheur)
- Kids can run the bases after final game of the weekend
Social Media…
For more on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap".
Morgan Bell, Reggie Harrison and Olivia Golden each had a bomb on the day. Bell's represented the winning run in the day's first contest against North Florida. Harrison launched the second of her MSU career in the first inning against EIU and Golden followed with a solo shot in the fifth, the first of her career.
Overall, the Bulldogs received five multi-hit performances on the day, including three-hit showings from Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore in the day's first game.
"We came out and did a good job. We had 13 hits in the first game and that's always huge to put up those kinds of numbers," sixth-year head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore were both sparks at the top of the lineup. Their speed is tough to handle and then we had some really well-hit balls, especially home runs from Reggie Harrison, Morgan Bell and Olivia Golden. I would like to clean up the defense a little, but if we can put it all together we have a really nice team."
State opened the day in dominating fashion, as sophomore Regan Green went three up, three down in the first. The Bulldogs' first at-bat of the day also presented their first hit, as Robinson tripled to center field. After a Kat Moore infield single, the Ospreys committed a failed pickoff attempt that drove both runners home. Later in the inning, Katie Anne Bailey drove in a third run on a single to the pitcher.
Up 3-0, Green kept UNF quiet and the Bulldog bats went back to work in the fourth. Moore dropped in another infield single, this time bringing home both Robinson and Emily Heimberger to make the MSU lead 5-0.
Despite being down, UNF did not relent. A pair of MSU fielding errors would score the Ospreys' first run and load the bases, setting up a grand slam that would tie things up at 5-5. However, the tie would not last long.
After taking the opening pitch for a ball, Bell launched one to left center, pushing MSU back into the lead. State would tack on the final run of the game later in the inning, as Heimberger scored on a wild pitch.
From there, Alexis Silkwood came on to close out the game, earning the second save of her senior campaign and moving her to tied for sixth on the MSU career saves list.
In the Dogs' second game, they once again opened up the scoring early. Robinson would reach on a leadoff single, which would set up a two-run opposite field homer for Harrison, her second bomb of the season. MSU kept the scoring going in the second, as a fielding error helped to push Heimberger in for a run, making it 3-0.
The Panthers would try to mount a comeback in the third, scoring one via an MSU mishap. However, Holly Ward kept EIU at bay with a total of seven strikeouts in her first complete game showing of the year.
MSU added on an insurance run in the fifth thanks to the power of Golden, who sent one soaring through the trees in left field. Golden's first-career home run sealed the final score at 4-1.
"Olivia Golden has been through a ton of injuries, so that was a special moment for her and for all of us. Everybody in the dugout was fired up for her because of everything she's been through," Stuedeman said.
The 13 hits in game one for MSU marked the most since tallying 15 against Ole Miss on March 21, 2015. The Bulldogs' multi-home run game against EIU is the first since hitting a pair of homers against SIU-Edwardsville on Feb. 20, 2016.
State will now face Southern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 12:30 p.m. CT. Following that contest, the February Freezer field will be seeded, with the one and four seeds facing off at 3 p.m., and the two and three seeds battling at 5:30 p.m.
2017 February Freezer Schedule…
Friday, Feb. 24
Game 1 – Eastern Illinois def. Southern Illinois, 7-0
Game 2 – Southern Illinois def. North Florida, 5-3
Game 3 - Mississippi State def. North Florida, 7-5
Game 4 - Mississippi State def. Eastern Illinois, 4-1
Saturday, Feb. 25
Game 5 – North Florida vs. Eastern Illinois - 10 a.m. CT
Game 6 - Mississippi State vs. Southern Illinois - 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 7 - 1 Seed vs. 4 Seed - 3 p.m. CT
Game 8 - 2 Seed vs. 3 Seed - 5:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 26
Game 9 - Consolation Game - 11 a.m. CT
Game 10 - Championship Game - 1:30 p.m. CT
Scoring Plays Versus North Florida…
1st Inning – A failed pickoff attempt puts the first runs of the game on the board, bringing home both Kat Moore and Bevia Robinson
1st Inning – Katie Anne Bailey singles to the pitcher and pushes home Caroline Seitz, making the Bulldog lead 3-0
4th Inning – Kat Moore gets a infield single, her second of the game so far, to bring home both Bevia Robinson and Emily Heimberger
5th Inning – After UNF ties it up with a grand slam, Morgan Bell responds with a crushing solo homer over the left center wall, giving the lead back to MSU, 6-5
5th Inning – A wild pitch adds an insurance run for the Dogs, as Emily Heimberger scores
Scoring Plays Versus Eastern Illinois…
1st Inning – Reggie Harrison hits a two-run jack over the wall in a right, her second home run of the year, to put MSU up 2-0 to start off the day's second game
2nd Inning – A Panther error makes Harrison safe at first and helps to bring home Emily Heimberger, pushing State's lead to 3-0
5th Inning – For the first time in her career, Olivia Golden sends one over the fence, as she smashes one over the fence in left, sealing MSU's victory at 4-1
Bulldog Home Run Tracker…
- Reggie Harrison vs. Fresno State, Feb. 16, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
- Morgan Bell vs. North Florida, Feb. 24, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
- Reggie Harrison vs. Eastern Illinois, Feb. 24, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
- Olivia Golden vs. Eastern Illinois, Feb. 24, 2017 (0 on, 1 out)
Robinson And Moore Dominate Top Of The Lineup…
Bevia Robinson and Kat Moore led off the Bulldog lineup in both games on Friday, going a total of 8-for-14 on the day. They each tallied a three-hit performance in the day's first game, which is a career-best performance for both.
Of the four hits for Robinson, one was a triple, the first of her career.
Ward On Fire Against The Panthers…
Junior righty Holly Ward was dominant all game long against Eastern Illinois. For the day, she threw seven strikeouts and only allowed one run, which was unearned, in her first complete game of 2017. The seven strikeouts came one short of tying her career high of eight, set last season against Georgia Southern (2/11/16).
Golden's First-Career Homer…
Fifth-year Bulldog Olivia Golden has battled through numerous injuries over her career and is looking to close out her MSU career with a bang. After a solid showing in Mexico, Golden kicked off her time in the February Freezer with a bang. Golden launched a rocket of a home run into the trees in left field, marking the first home run of her career.
Silk Climbing Up The Career Saves Chart…
Senior lefty Alexis Silkwood came in and shut down the North Florida Ospreys in the day's first game, earning her second save of the year. For her career, Silkwood now has six saves, which moves her into a tie for sixth in the MSU record books.
She also added a pair of strikeouts, leaving her just six strikeouts away from setting the MSU school record for strikeouts. She currently stands second with 468. Alison Owen (2013-14) holds the career record with 473.
Live Video…
All of Mississippi State's games will be broadcasted on SEC Network +.
MSU vs. Southern Illinois
MSU vs. TBA (Game 4 - Saturday)
MSU vs. TBA (Game 5 - Sunday)
Live Stats…
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all 10 games this weekend. Live stats can be found here or by visiting hailstate.com/livestats.
Admission…
All matches at Nusz Park this weekend, as well as the entire season, are free admission.
Promotions…
A list of this weekend's promotions are listed below.
Saturday, Feb. 25
MSU vs. Southern Illinois (12:30 p.m.); MSU vs. TBD (3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.)
- Free admission
- Free gift cards and prizes throughout the games
Sunday, Feb. 26
MSU vs. TBD (11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.)
- Free admission
- Free gift cards and prizes throughout the games
- "Kids' Day At The Park" (Sponsored by LeBonheur)
- Kids can run the bases after final game of the weekend
Social Media…
For more on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap".
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Green, Regan (2-0)
L: Blourne, Morgan (2-1)
S: Silkwood, Alexis (2)
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Batting:
HR: McGory, Kayla 1
RBI: McGory, Kayla 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Penrod, Navia 1 ; Aguayo, Taylor 1 ; Kelley, Macayla 1 ; McGory, Kayla 1 ; Brownell, Jenna 1
CS: Estes, Casey 1
HBP: Valle, Jen 1
Batting:
2B: Adams, Calyn 1
3B: Robinson, Bevia 1
HR: Bell, Morgan 1
RBI: Moore, Kat 1 ; Bell, Morgan 1 ; Bailey, Katie Anne 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Robinson, Bevia 2 ; Moore, Kat 1 ; Seitz, Caroline 1 ; Bell, Morgan 1 ; Heimberger, Emily 2
HBP: Golden, Olivia 1
PO: Adams, Calyn 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/UTL
/ Softball
UTL
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INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
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INF
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