Bulldogs Drop Pair To No. 20 LSU Saturday Afternoon

Saturday, March 21

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

14-13, 0

#21 LSU (DH-1)

18-6, 0

LSU

Mississippi State

MSU's Ka'ili Smith Named SEC Freshman Of The Week

Bulldogs Drop Pair To No. 20 LSU Saturday Afternoon

March 21, 2009 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics (Game 1)
? Official Statistics (Game 1) (PDF)
? Official Statistics (Game 2)
? Official Statistics (Game 2) (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Junior Chelsea Bramlett collected four hits Saturday afternoon as the Mississippi State softball team dropped a Southeastern Conference doubleheader to No. 20 LSU at the MSU Softball Field. Freshman Ka'ili Smith accounted for all four of Mississippi State's runs in the opener, but Jessica Mouse's seventh-inning home run helped the Tigers escape with a 5-4 win before clinching the series with a 4-1 victory in the finale.

After having her career-long 16-game hit streak halted against Arkansas on Tuesday, Bramlett paced State (14-14, 0-8 SEC) with a pair of hits in each game.

Brittany Mack picked up both victories for LSU (19-6, 6-2 SEC) to run her record to 7-1. In the opening game, she allowed a hit and struck out four over the final two innings. In game two, Mack went the distance, surrendering a run on three this with six strikeouts.

Freshman Lindsey Dunlap (6-8) dropped her sixth straight decision in Saturday's second game, going the distance and giving up the four third-inning runs on seven this with six strikeouts and five walks.

Senior Kelsey Nurnberg, who pitched the full seven innings in the opening game, fell to 8-4 on the year as she surrendered five runs, one earned, on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

The Bulldogs came out with the bats hot early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Bramlett led off with a single and stole second before Brittany Bell walked. Ali Bainbridge advanced the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and after a strikeout, Smith scored both runners with a two-out single through the right side.

LSU, who scored all of its runs in the game with two outs, answered in the top of the third, scoring four runs on a Juliana Santos RBI base hit and Rachel Mitchell's second home run of the year, a three-run blast to left-center.

Mississippi State fought back, however, tying the game at 4-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bainbridge and senior Sammie Jo Bailey delivered back-to-back base hits to open the inning, and Smith brought them home with a double to the right-center field gap.

State was unable to keep the game tied, however, as Mouse delivered the decisive blow with her first home run of the year.

"Two home runs were the difference in the first game, but I thought we did a nice job of battling back after getting down. Ka'ili (Smith) came up with some big hits for us and drove in all of our runs,"

Bulldog head coach Jay Miller said. "We had some other opportunities in both games, but we're just not coming through when we need to. We have to keep fighting, because when you do that, good things can happen."

Just as in game one, LSU put together a four-run third inning in the nightcap, but this time it proved to be all the Tigers would need.

Kirsten Shortridge and Jazz Jackson opened the frame with a pair of bunt singles. Shortridge scored on Jackson's bunt as the throw from Dunlap skipped past MSU first baseman Courtney Nesbit.

Santos followed with a walk, and Mitchell cleared the bases with a two-run double to the wall in right-center. Mitchell advanced to third on an Ashley Langoni walk and an Ashley Applegate base hit, and she put LSU up 4-0 as she came home on Anissa Young's RBI single to left.

State cut the score to its final tally with a run in the home half of the third. Nesbit led off with a walk and took second on Brittany Gates' bunt single. Bramlett then loaded the bases with a fly ball that dropped just past the out-stretched glove of Langoni at second.

After a Bell fielder's choice retired Nesbit on a force-out at home, Bainbridge was hit by a pitch to score Gates and cut the lead to 4-1.

With an opportunity to further cut into the lead, Mack got a pop-out to the catcher to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

Mississippi State and LSU close out the three-game series on Sunday in a game set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all MSU home softball games is free.