Bailey, Bramlett Lead Bulldog Softball To 9-7 Road Win Over UAB

Tuesday, March 24

Birmingham, Ala.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

15-15

UAB

10-18

Mississippi State

UAB

MSU Softball Lands Three On ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team

Bailey, Bramlett Lead Bulldog Softball To 9-7 Road Win Over UAB

March 24, 2009 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? Sammie Jo Bailey drove in three runs, and Chelsea Bramlett went 3-for-3 and scored three times as the Mississippi State softball team held off a late UAB rally for a 9-7 win Tuesday night at George Ward Park in downtown Birmingham.

Sophomore Jessie Spain, who was playing in her hometown for the first time in her collegiate career, went 2-for-3 and scored a run, while freshman Brittany Gates collected a pair of hits and a run. Vestavia Hills, Ala., native Ali Bainbridge drove in two runs in the game.

The Bulldogs, who snapped a 10-game losing skid to improve to 15-15 on the year, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Bramlett, who ran her hit streak to six games, led off with a bunt single to third base. Bramlett stole second and Brittany Bell walked, and freshman Ka'ili Smith moved them into scoring position with a ground-out to the pitcher. Bailey then drove in the pair with a line drive to left-center.

State used aggressive base-running to add two more runs in the second that expanded the lead to 4-0. With two outs in the inning, freshman Brittany Gates beat out a bunt single ? one of her two hits in the game ? and stole second. Bramlett followed with a bunt single, and she broke for second when UAB starter Sara Swepston checked Gates at third. Swepston's throw went into center field, scoring Gates and Bramlett.

Swepston took the loss to fall to 2-5 on the year. She surrendered four runs, three earned, on four hits with a strikeout and a walk in two innings.

Freshman Lindsey Dunlap, a native of near-by Hueytown, improved to 7-9 on the year as she allowed five runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and four walks over seven innings. Senior Kelsey Nurnberg surrendered the other two runs as she faced two batters in the fifth.

State pushed the lead to 8-0 with a four-run fourth inning. Spain led off the frame with a double. A walk to Courtney Moore and a two-out walk to Bell loaded the bases, and Smith made it a 5-0 game as she was hit by a pitch to bring in a run. Bailey put the Dogs up 6-0 as she worked the count and drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Moore. Bainbridge capped the frame as she lined a double to left that brought home Bell and Smith.

“It's good to score some runs. We jumped out to a good lead, but we had trouble holding it,” MState head coach Jay Miller said. “Lindsey did a nice job shutting them down over the final innings. The offense had some good at-bats and generated some runs, and that's good to see heading to Tennessee this weekend.”

UAB (10-18) got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning as three walks loaded the bases and a Laura Callaway sacrifice fly to left scored pinch-runner Tiffany Smith.

The Blazers then added five runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the MState lead to a pair. Cameron Skates and Caley Walden led off the inning with consecutive singles. Martina Landrum made it an 8-2 game as she singled up the middle to score Skates and chase Dunlap from the game for senior Kelsey Nurnberg.

A passed ball moved the runners to third and second, and Andrea Rogers hit a pop-up to the left side of the infield that dropped between Jessie Bailey and Spain to score Walden and cut the lead to 8-3. After a wild pitch scored Landrum, Amanda Allen cut the Bulldog lead to two runs with her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field fence. Dunlap returned to the circle and got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.

State answered with a run in the top of the sixth to move the lead to 9-6. Bramlett led off with a single, and after stealing second, she scored on a Brittany Bell base hit.

The Blazers answered right back in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the State lead to 9-7 with a Skates one-out solo home run to left field.

UAB opened the seventh with a Landrum single and a one-out walk to Allen to put the tying run on base, but Dunlap, who retired eight of the last 11 hitters she faced over the final two frames, got a pop-out and a strikeout to seal the victory.

The Bulldogs return to SEC play this weekend, traveling to Knoxville for a three-game series with No. 9/10 Tennessee. The two teams open the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. CDT. Sunday's finale is also set for a 12 p.m. first pitch and will be televised by SportSouth. All three games of the series will be broadcast on WMSV 91.1 FM and online at www.wmsv.msstate.edu.