No. 25 MState Softball Falls 7-0 To No. 20 Ohio State; Second Game Rained Out

Friday, February 27

Columbus, Ga.

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

11-3

#24 Ohio State

13-3

Mississippi State

Ohio State

Bulldog Softball Hosts No. 7 Michigan on Wednesday to Open Homestand

No. 25 MState Softball Falls 7-0 To No. 20 Ohio State; Second Game Rained Out

February 27, 2009 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics (vs. Ohio State)
? Official Statistics (vs. Ohio State) (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ga. ? Mississippi State had its eight-game win streak halted as the 25th-ranked Bulldogs dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 20 Ohio State Friday morning in the opening game of the 2009 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. MState's final game of the day against Long Island was cancelled due to heavy rains that entered the area.

State fell to 11-3 with the loss, while OSU improved to 13-3 on the year. Freshman Brittany Gates paced the Bulldogs with a 2-for-2 outing. Junior Chelsea Bramlett, freshman Courtney Moore and senior Sammie Jo Bailey each had a hit in the contest.

“We didn't come out well today. We didn't make adjustments at the plate,” MState head coach Jay Miller said. “You have to give Ohio State a lot of credit. Kim Reeder pitched well, and we couldn't put things together. We wanted to bounce back tonight, but we didn't get to because of the rain. Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow and finish the tournament on a strong note.”

Sam Marder hit two home runs and drove in four runs to pace the Buckeyes. Courtney Pruner added another round-tripper in a four-run fifth.

Reeder moved to 7-2 on the year as she struck out 10 in a complete-game, five-hit shutout.

State fell behind early and was unable to recover as OSU collected two runs in the first on Marder's first round-tripper of the game. OSU added to the lead in the second as Alicia Herron led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Vanessa Spears' double to the fence in right-center.

Consecutive home runs from Marder and Pruner capped the four-run fifth. Herron added the final run with a sacrifice fly to center that scored pinch-runner Katie Simonton.

Lindsey Dunlap suffered her first collegiate loss after winning five straight games to start the season. The Hueytown, Ala., native allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk over four innings. Sophomore Elizabeth Woolven tossed the final two frames, surrendering four runs, three earned, on four hits while striking out two and walking one.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to open Saturday's play against No. 17 Massachusetts at 3 p.m. CST. State closes Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. CST meeting with Hofstra.