Spain Scores Winning Run As Bulldogs Split SEC Twinbill With Auburn; Bramlett Sets Record

Wednesday, April 22

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

24-22, 6-15

Auburn (DH-1)

27-21, 7-14

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Auburn	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	8	2
Mississippi State	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Auburn	0	3	1	0	3	0	1	8	14	2
Mississippi State	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	1

Spain Scores Winning Run As Bulldogs Split SEC Twinbill With Auburn; Bramlett Sets Record

April 22, 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. ? Jessie Bailey doubled home the tying run in the seventh inning and Jessie Spain scored the winning run on an error in the 10th to rally the Mississippi State softball team to a 2-1, 10-inning win over Auburn and a split of an SEC doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field. Junior catcher Chelsea Bramlett broke the school's single-season stolen base record as the Bulldogs dropped an 8-3 decision in the nightcap.

Bramlett went 3-for-4 at the plate and stole her 47th base of the year, breaking the previous record she set in 2007 and matched last season. The pair of stolen bases put her at 139 for her career, just two behind the school record held by former all-American Iyhia McMichael.

State (24-23, 6-16 SEC) tied the opening game of the twin bill in the bottom of the seventh after Auburn took the lead on a Myesha Finney home run. Down to its final out, Ali Bainbridge kept the Maroon and White alive as she reached and took second on a fielding error by AU second baseman Cassie Trosclair. Jessie Bailey then lined a doubled to the wall, bringing home Bainbridge with the tying run.

Both MSU starter Lindsey Dunlap and Auburn starter Anna Thompson kept both squads scoreless until the 10th. Playing in its second 10-inning game in a week, Spain singled to lead off the inning. Courtney Nesbit, who paced State with a pair of hits in the game, followed with a base hit to left field.

State scored the game-winner when Nesbit got caught between bases on a Brittany Gates pop-up to Trosclair. The throw on the double-play attempt sailed wide of the bag, allowing Spain to score with the winning run.

Dunlap (15-13) earned her fourth win in five starts, allowing a run on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks in the complete-game effort. Thompson also went the full 10 innings, giving up the two unearned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk to fall to 13-12.

Lindsey threw great in the first game, holding them down for 10 innings to get a big split,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said. “We struggled at the plate all day, and we have to start generating some offense. Hopefully we can pick up the offense this weekend against a good Kentucky squad.”

Auburn improved to 28-21 and 8-14 in the SEC behind a stellar effort from Jenee Loree in the second game. Loree (12-7) tossed the full seven innings, giving up three unearned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

Bulldog starter Kelsey Nurnberg fell to 9-8 as she surrendered five runs on 11 hits with two strikeouts and a walk in six innings. Dunlap tossed an inning between Nurnberg appearances, giving up three runs on three hits with a strikeout and two walks.

Mississippi State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Brittany Bell was hit by a pitch with one out. She stole second, but the throw sailed into center field to move her to third. Bell scored two batters later as she beat the throw home on a Sammie Jo Bailey fielder's choice.

Auburn took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second behind doubles from Lauren Guzman, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Trosclair. Guzman, but the Bulldogs answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the game.

Spain and Nesbit opened the second with back-to-back singles. Two batters later, Bramlett beat out a ground ball to first. The throw went past Trosclair, allowing Spain to come home and Nesbit to move to third. Bell was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to load the bases, and a wild pitch brought pinch-runner Allie Heon across with the tying run.

The Tigers, however, took a 4-3 lead they would never relinquish on an Amber Harrison two-out single in the third. Auburn added three more runs in the fifth and another in the seventh.

MSU hits the road this weekend, venturing to Lexington for a three-game set with Kentucky. The series kicks off Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. CDT. Saturday's series finale is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CDT first pitch.