MSU Softball Sees Season Come To An End With 5-0 Loss To Florida State

Saturday, May 16

Tallahassee, Fla.

3:30 PM

Mississippi State

28-28

#16 Florida State

44-15

Florida State

Mississippi State

MState Softball's Bainbridge, Dunlap Receive SEC Honors

MSU Softball Sees Season Come To An End With 5-0 Loss To Florida State

May 16, 2009 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? The Mississippi State softball team had its 2009 season come to an end Saturday afternoon, falling 5-0 to host Florida State in the NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional at JoAnne Graf Field.

State finished the campaign 28-28 in its eighth NCAA Regional appearance in school history, the sixth in head coach Jay Miller's seven seasons at the Bulldog helm.

“I am very pleased with the way our team played this season. With all the injuries that forced us to move people around, our team never gave up,” Bulldog head coach Jay Miller said. “Our team rose to the occasion and ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time. I am very proud of this team and am looking forward to a bright future for Mississippi State softball.”

The Bulldogs were never able to figure out Seminole starter Sarah Hamilton on Saturday, failing to get a hit for the first time since Feb. 16, 2007, against UC-Davis.

“Sarah Hamilton threw a great game today,” Miller said. “She kept our batters off-balance, and we could never get anything going. Lindsey (Dunlap) pitched well for us today, but she made a couple of mistakes that they took advantage of. We just struggled getting the bat on the ball today.”

Hamilton improved to 20-6 as she struck out 10 and walked two batters. MSU starter Lindsey Dunlap finished her inaugural campaign 17-16, giving up five runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Florida State (44-15) took the lead in the top of the third as Monica Montez took a two-out, two-strike offering from Dunlap and lined it into center field, scoring Carly Wynn and Shayla Jackson. Jackson paced FSU with a 4-for-4 day at the plate.

The Bulldogs had a chance to cut into the 2-0 advantage in the sixth. Chelsea Bramlett, who had her hit streak halted at 14 games, reached on a throwing error by Seminole catcher Kaleigh Rafter with one out. Brittany Bell followed with a sacrifice bunt, and Bramlett ended up taking third on the play. She was stranded 60 feet from the plate, however, as Hamilton got Ka'ili Smith to ground out to short for the final out.

Florida State sealed the win with a trio of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. FSU loaded the bases with a three singles before Ashley Stager cleared the bases with a double to left-center that tipped off the glove of a diving Smith.