TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? Freshman Courtney Moore drove in a pair of runs, and Kelsey Nurnberg and Lindsey Dunlap combined for a shutout as the Mississippi State softball team knocked off Miami (Ohio) 3-0 Saturday night in the Sunshine Classic hosted by Florida State.
State moved to 5-2 overall in a game that was delayed nearly five hours due to heavy rains in the Tallahassee area. The late start to the day's action caused the Bulldogs' nightcap with Appalachian State to be cancelled. State will close out play against the host Seminoles Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CST.
Moore, the rookie out of El Sobrante, Calif., went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs. Junior Chelsea Bramlett scored all three of State's runs in the contest.
“We got some timely hits and some big RBIs from Courtney Moore tonight,” Bulldog head coach Jay Miller, who became the school's all-time winningest coach Friday night in an upset of No. 23 Purdue, said. “Chelsea got on base and made some things happen with her speed. I was very pleased with the way we gave ourselves a cushion as the game went on.”
Nurnberg picked up the win to improve to 3-0 overall. The Ankeny, Iowa, senior struck out four and scattered eight hits over six innings before giving way to Dunlap. The Hueytown, Ala., freshman fired a perfect seventh to earn her second save of the year.
“We played some good defense tonight,” Miller said. “It was nice to see Kelsey in command from the first inning on, and Lindsey came in and blew it past them in the second inning. Overall, we had an excellent performance on the mound.”
The Bulldogs took a lead they would not relinquish in the opening frame. Bramlett reached on an error, and after moving to second on a Jessie Spain sacrifice bunt, she scored on Moore's line drive to left field.
Bramlett got Mississippi State started again in the third as she was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. After stealing second, she moved to third on an Ali Bainbridge ground-out and extended the lead to 2-0 as Moore delivered a two-out bouncing ball that snuck through the middle of the infield.
Miami (1-2) threatened to cut into MSU's lead in the third. Jordan Mcelroy and Kat Russette led off the inning with consecutive singles. Two batters later, Daniela Torres drew a two-out walk that loaded the bases. Katie Osburn hit a ground ball that deflected off Nurnberg's glove and looked almost certain to plate the Redhawks' first run, but Nurnberg tracked down the ball and made a diving flip to first to get out of the bases-loaded jam unscathed.
State added its final run in the fifth as Bramlett walked to lead off the inning. Looking to sacrifice her to second, Spain reached on a fielding error by the Miami first baseman. A double steal put the two runners in scoring position, and Bramlett scored on a Bainbridge ground-out to short.
Jessica Simpson suffered the loss for Miami (Ohio) in her first decision of the year. She allowed the three runs, two earned, on four hits with six strikeouts in the complete-game effort. Russette and Sarah Billstrom paced the Redhawks with a pair of hits apiece.
