Bulldog Softball Welcomes Auburn For Wednesday SEC Twinbill
April 21, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State softball team looks to continue the momentum of last weekend's series win over South Carolina as it welcomes Auburn to the MSU Softball Field on Wednesday for a Southeastern Conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
Admission to all MSU home softball games is free, and the games will be broadcast live on WMSV 91.1 FM and online at www.wmsv.msstate.edu.
State has won six of its last eight games to improve to 23-22 and 5-15 in the SEC. The Bulldogs claimed a pair of wins over the Gamecocks as part of Super Bulldog Weekend presented by Regions Bank. Auburn enters the mid-week doubleheader 27-20 overall, 7-13 in the league. The Tigers have dropped seven straight games after three losses to sixth-ranked Georgia over the weekend.
The Bulldogs lead the series 23-18 and own a 13-6 advantage in Starkville, but the two teams have split the last six meetings.
Wednesday's match-up is a big one for both teams in terms of the advancing to the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. Auburn currently holds the eighth position, two games ahead of the Bulldogs with three series remaining for each team.
Head coach Jay Miller's squad looks to rebound after dropping the final two games of last season's three-game set in Auburn.
The Bulldogs host Wednesday's twin bill hitting .281 as a team, with junior Chelsea Bramlett leading the way with an SEC-best .483 batting average. Bramlett also leads the conference with 69 hits and 45 stolen bases. The nation's top base stealer with 1.05 per game, Bramlett sits just one steal shy of matching her single-season school record.
Sophomore Ali Bainbridge will be looking for another big series against her home-state Tigers. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native hit .400 and drove in three runs in last season's series. She enters Wednesday's doubleheader hitting .331 with a team-leading 29 RBI. Bainbridge is also tied with junior Jessie Bailey for the home run lead (4) while ranking second on the squad in doubles (7) and triples (2).
Another Alabama product, freshman Lindsey Dunlap, will be aiming for another big weekend. The Hueytown, Ala., native picked up all three of MSU's victories last week to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Dunlap tossed 30 innings last week, including every pitch of the South Carolina series, to improve to 14-13 on the year. She has allowed 81 runs (75 earned) with a 2.98 ERA and has struck-out a team-leading 136.
Senior Kelsey Nurnberg owns a 9-7 tally in the circle this season, giving up 77 runs (55 earned) with 66 strikeouts over 95 innings.
The Bulldog pitching staff will meet an Auburn squad that is hitting .245 as a team. Myesha Finney has proven a formidable foe for opposing pitchers this season, hitting .317 with a team-high six home runs. She has also added seven doubles and driven in 18 runs.
Tatiana Fernandez, a .267 hitter, boast a team-best 21 RBI this season. Her nine doubles currently stand tied for the team lead with Kyndall White (.296, 4 HR, 17 RBI).
AU's pitching staff features returning 2008 All-SEC selection Anna Thompson. Thompson holds a 13-11 record, surrendering a 2.24 ERA while striking out 219 over 150 innings. Freshman Jenee Loree has made 32 appearances in the circle this season, compiling an 11-7 mark. Loree has a 2.50 ERA, giving up 51 earned runs with 140 strikeouts.
