No. 24 Bulldogs Shut Out Alcorn State to Record 30th Win

Tuesday, April 10

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

30-11

Alcorn State

7-24

Alcorn State

Mississippi State

For the sixth time under the Vann Stuedeman era, Mississippi State softball has record 30 wins over a season.

No. 24 Bulldogs Shut Out Alcorn State to Record 30th Win

April 10, 2018 | Softball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Behind senior Holly Ward's complete-game shutout performance and hot bats, No. 24 Mississippi State (30-11) blanked Alcorn State (7-24), 11-0, to record the program 30^th victory of the 2018 season Tuesday night at Nusz Park.

Ward recorded her fifth shutout of the season, allowing just three hits in the outing to improve to 11-4. The right-hander fanned six in the contest.

The Bulldogs went 11-for 23 at the plate (.478), knocking five clutch hits with runners in scoring position and batting around in both the first and second innings. Three Bulldogs turned in multi-hit games with freshman Mia Davidson closing the game 2-for-2 with two RBIs after her 14^th home run of the season and three runs scored.

"We want to see if our student-athletes are putting in the time and work in preparation of getting an opportunity to play," said head coach Vann Stuedeman. "We have used a lot of pinch hitters in conference play this season. To see their preparation in a game as a starter is nice to see. They all work really hard. We love the chance to give them an opportunity to start and see how they handle this moment to see how they may perform in a big-time moment."

With two runners on with one out, senior Reggie Harrison plated the first run of the game with an RBI single to deep short. The Bulldogs would score its second run on an errant Alcorn State throw that sent the ball into the MSU dugout. Harrison slipped home with help of a wild pitch before freshman Macey Petrey knocked an RBI single up the middle to cap the four-run first for the Bulldogs.

MSU continued the offensive onslaught in the second, beginning with Davidson's 14^th home run of the season. Harrison extended the lead to 7-0 with an RBI triple before coming home on a double off the bat of senior Calyn Adams. Making the first start of her career, sophomore Lindsey Williams knocked an RBI single to center to round out the second-inning scoring.

Senior Carmen Carter knocked a sacrifice fly in the third, followed by an RBI infield single by sophomore Maddie Dorsett plated the final two runs of the game as MSU rolled to its sixth 30-win season under Stuedeman.

MAMA MIA!
Mia Davidson continued her destroying pitches by slugging her 14^th home run of her freshman season. She now stands second outright for the most homers ever hit by an MSU freshman, ranking just behind All-American Courtney Bures (18 – 2005). Her 14 home runs also tied Kellie Wilkerson (2001) for the fourth-most home runs in single-season history. Davidson is just four homers away from tying All-American Iyhia McMichael for the program record.

WARD UP
With her fifth shutout of the season, Holly Ward has moved into a seven-way tie for the sixth-most shutouts in MSU single-season history. The right-handed also moved into a tie with Jennifer Pursell (2000-01) with 10 career shutouts, ranking tied for fifth in program history. Behind her six strikeouts, Ward also brought her season total to 111 strikeouts, which is the fourth-most ever recorded my an MSU senior.

ON DECK
Mississippi State returns to conference play this weekend, squaring off with in-state rival Ole Miss in Oxford. The series will begin Saturday, April 14 at 4 p.m. CT on the SEC Network +. The final two games of the weekend series will receive national broadcast as Sunday's 6 p.m. showdown will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and Monday's series finale aired on the SEC Network.

FOLLOW THE DAWGS
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".