Bulldog Softball Hits The Road To Face No. 9 Tennessee
March 27, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State softball team travels to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend for a three-game, Southeastern Conference series with ninth-ranked Tennessee. The two teams open the series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. CDT. Sunday's series finale, which will be televised on SportSouth, will also begin at 12 p.m.
State enters the weekend at 15-15 overall and 0-9 in SEC play. The Bulldogs snapped a 10-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 9-7 win over UAB in Birmingham. Rain shortened Tennessee's mid-week series with Arkansas to a single game, but UT came out on top to get back even in SEC play at 3-3 while improving to 25-6 overall.
The Bulldogs and Lady Vols have met 33 times previously, with UT holding a 22-11 advantage in the series. The two teams split last season's series, with State winning the series opener 2-1 on a walk-off hit before UT captured the nightcap.
Chelsea Bramlett continues to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. The Cordova, Tenn., junior is hitting an SEC-leading and NCAA second-best .515 with four doubles, two triples, eight RBI and a team-best 30 runs scored. Bramlett has hit safely in six straight games, and she has collected multiple hits in five of those six outings. She also tops the SEC with 33 stolen bases, a mark with ranks second in the nation.
Head coach Jay Miller will be looking for another productive weekend from freshman Ka'ili Smith. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native has hit at a .333 clip since returning from a trip back to her home state, raising her average to .321 for the season. Smith is currently tied for the SEC lead in triples (4), and she has belted seven doubles while driving in 18 runs and scoring 11 times.
Sophomore Ali Bainbridge is also tied for the team lead in doubles. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native has driven in a team-leading 24 runs while hitting .319 with three home runs. Junior Jessie Bailey leads State in home runs with four on the year.
Freshman Lindsey Dunlap picked up the victory at UAB on Tuesday to run her record to 7-9. The Hueytown, Ala., product has allowed 50 runs, 47 earned, for a 3.09 ERA. Dunlap leads the team in strikeouts with 89 over 106 1/3 innings. Senior Kelsey Nurnberg is off to an 8-4 start. The senior from Ankeny, Iowa, has surrendered 45 runs, 36 earned, for a 3.53 ERA. She has also struck out 51 over 71 1/3 innings.
This weekend's three-game set will feature two of the best defenses not only in the SEC, but in the nation. The Bulldogs bring in the nation's fourth-best defense with a .979 percentage, while UT ranks second nationally with an SEC-best .982 mark.
The Lady Vols are paced at the plate by .400-plus hitters Tiffany Huff and Kelly Grieve. Huff enters the weekend hitting .476 with a team-best 10 doubles. She has also added six home runs and 49 RBI. Grieve has tallied a .411 average and has scored a team-high 33 runs while matching teammate Lillian Hammond for the team's stolen-base lead (20-for-21). Jessica Spigner, a .354 hitter, leads Tennessee in home runs with 12 on the year. She has also driven in 35 runs while scoring 24 times.
The Tennessee offense has supported a pitching staff that has combined for a 2.01 ERA. Cat Hosfield has seen the majority of the innings, collecting an 18-5 record and 2.01 ERA. Hosfield has allowed 51 runs, 41 earned, on 99 hits with 126 strikeouts over 143 innings.
