Bulldog Softball Returns Home Tuesday To Meet Arkansas In SEC Home Opener
March 16, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State softball team opens the home portion of its Southeastern Conference schedule on Tuesday, welcoming the Arkansas Razorbacks for a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field. The two teams open the series with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. The series finale is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (14-9, 0-3 SEC) opened the conference schedule last weekend, dropping three games to second-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Arkansas (13-9, 2-0 SEC) comes to Starkville fresh off a sweep of South Carolina in which they out-scored the Gamecocks 11-0 in the two games.
The two teams have met 43 times previously, with MState holding a 26-17 advantage. Arkansas claimed last season's series two games to one, but State holds a 14-6 lead in games played in Starkville.
Junior Chelsea Bramlett paces a Bulldog offense that enters the series hitting .293 as a team. The Cordova, Tenn., native extended her hit streak to a career-long 16 games last weekend, and she meets the Razorbacks hitting a team second-best .513 with three doubles, six RBI and 24 runs scored. Bramlett continues her hold on the conference's stolen-base mark, improving to 29-for-32 on the year.
Sophomore Ali Bainbridge leads MState with 21 RBI. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native has hit at a .329 clip this season and is tied for the team home run lead with junior Jessie Bailey.
Freshman Lindsey Dunlap saw all three starts for MState against the Crimson Tide. Dunlap enters her second conference series with a 6-5 record, and she leads the team with 64 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA over 76 innings.
Dunlap will face a UA team that comes into the week hitting .258. The Razorbacks rely on Whitney Cloer to spark the bats, as she leads the team in average (.368), doubles (8), home runs (4) and RBI (16). Jessica Bachkora can present problems on the bases for opposing teams with her 11-for-11 stolen-base tally. The .338 hitter has notched six doubles and three home runs while driving in 13 runs and scoring 17 times.
Miranda Dixon is expected to see most of the action in the circle this weekend for an Arkansas staff that has been touched for a 3.48 ERA. Dixon leads the unit with a 7-2 mark on the season, and she also tops the team in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (58).
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