Mississippi State
18-4
Charleston Southern
9-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 0 |
| Charleston Southern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Bats Hot As MSU Downs Charleston Southern 19-2 On Cold Day At Bulldog Classic
March 07, 2008 | Softball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? No. 18 Mississippi State collected season highs in hits and runs en route to a 19-2, five-inning defeat of Charleston Southern on a cold, wet opening day of the Bulldog Classic at the MSU Softball Field.
Five Bulldogs collected multiple hits on the day. Jessie Bailey matched her career high four RBI on a 2-for-3 plate outing while senior Courtney Bures extended her hit streak to nine games with a 3-for-4 outing that included a pair of RBI and three runs scored. Fellow senior Hayle Guess scored a career-best four runs, two on the first inside-the-park home run by an MSU player since 2001, while driving in three on a perfect 2-for-2 afternoon.
Another senior, Megan Bateman, went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of RBI and two runs, while freshman Ali Bainbridge put together a pair of hits and accounted for three MState runs in her two plate appearances.
The Bulldogs opened the game with a six-run first inning and never looked back as they moved to 18-4 on the season. MSU plated all six runs with two outs in the frame. Bures kicked off the rally with a single up the middle. She scored on Sammie Jo Bailey's double to right center, and Bainbridge plated Bailey with her base hit to left. Bainbridge stole second and Guess scored her with a double to right field.
"We did a great job of putting up runs with two outs in the first inning," MSU head coach Jay Miller said. "It was a good way to start the game, and we really did a nice job of putting hits together. We never took the pressure off, and that is a good sign as we get ready to begin SEC play next week. With the cold and the rain, we did a nice job of staying focused out and making plays out there. Kelsey did a really nice job in the circle for us, and it was just a good overall effort from everyone today. We had a great offensive game in very tough conditions."
Jessie Spain drew a walk to continue the inning, and Jessie Bailey plated two of her four runs with a double down the line in left field that scored Spain and Guess. Brittany Bell scored Bailey with her double to cap the six-run burst.
Kelsey Nurnberg wouldn't need any further offensive support as she moved to a career-best 10-2 on the season after giving up two late runs on three hits with four strikeouts in the complete-game effort. Jill Shondel fell to 1-4 on the year as she allowed five runs on four hits in an inning and a third for Charleston Southern (9-14).
The Bulldog offense continued to pour on the offense with a pair of runs in the second on a Bainbridge single and an error, and four more in the third. After Courtney Nesbit drove in a run, Guess added the final two runs on her fifth home run of the season.
After Bateman capped a two-run fourth with an RBI single, MSU capped the scoring with a five-run top of the fifth. Guess and Spain were hit by a pitch and walked, respectively, to kick off the frame. After both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch, Bailey plated them with her second hit of the day, a base hit back up the middle. Bateman scored another run on a single to center before Bures drove in the final two runs with her single up the middle.
State's nightcap with Louisiana Tech was cancelled due to rain that entered the Starkville area. The Bulldog Classic resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday, with MSU set to take the field against Austin Peay at 2 p.m. and the Lady Bucs at 4 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nurnberg, Kelsey (10-2)
L: SHONDEL, Jill (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Bailey, Sammie Jo 1 ; Guess, Hayle 1 ; Bailey, Jessie 1 ; Bell, Brittany 1
HR: Guess, Hayle 1
RBI: Bateman, Megan 2 ; Bures, Courtney 2 ; Bailey, Sammie Jo 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 2 ; Guess, Hayle 3 ; Bailey, Jessie 4 ; Bell, Brittany 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bramlett, Chelsea 2 ; Bateman, Megan 2 ; Bures, Courtney 3 ; Bailey, Sammie Jo 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Guess, Hayle 4 ; Spain, Jessie 2 ; Bailey, Jessie 1 ; Bell, Brittany 2
SB: Bramlett, Chelsea 2 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Bell, Brittany 2
CS: Nesbit, Courtney 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1
HBP: Bures, Courtney 1 ; Guess, Hayle 1 ; Bell, Brittany 1
Batting:
RBI: CONWAY, Ashley 2
Base Running:
RUNS: GREEN, Erin 1 ; BROOKS, Jennifer 1
HBP: KEGLEY, Erin 1
