Mississippi State
3-0
Stephen F. Austin
0-4
Vry No-No Leads MSU Softball To Bulldog Round-Robin Title
February 14, 2010 | Softball
• Official Statistics (vs. Stephen F. Austin)
• Official Statistics (vs. Stephen F. Austin) (PDF)
• Official Statistics (vs. UAB)
• Official Statistics (vs. UAB) (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Kylie Vry made her first career start memorable, throwing Mississippi State's first no-hitter since 2006 as the Bulldog softball team claimed a 5-0 win over Stephen F. Austin en route to winning the Bulldog Round-Robin championship.
State (4-0) won the tournament for the fifth time with a 6-2 win over UAB in the nightcap.
Vry's no-hitter was the first by a Bulldog since Stephanie Comeaux tossed one in a 5-0 win over Arkansas on Mar. 18, 2006. The Iowa native struck out four and ended up just two walks shy of the perfect game.
"I was really nervous at first, but once I got out there I felt good," Vry said. "I never thought I'd throw a no-hitter, but the team did a great job of backing me up today."
Offensively, the Bulldogs' Brittany Bell matched a career-best 3-for-4 plate effort, including her first home run of the season, with two RBI and three runs scored. Sophomore Ka'ili Smith notched a two-run home run, her first of the season, in her only hit of the game, while Ali Bainbridge and Jessie Bailey added two hits each.
Bell earned Bulldog Round-Robin MVP honors after hitting .500 (7-for-14) with a double, a home run, a team-high six RBI and five runs scored over the four-game set. The Brandon, Fla., native was also 2-for-2 on the bases.
Bell put the Dawgs on top 1-0 as she lined a two-out home run over the wall in center field.
State added two more runs in the top of the third. Jessie Spain singled to right field and stole second. Bell brought her home with a base hit down the line in left. After stealing third, Bell made it a 3-0 game as she crossed the plate on Bainbridge's double to right.
The Dawgs tacked on the game's final runs with a two-run fifth inning. Bell lined a one-out double to right, and two batters later, Smith launched the ball over the wall in right field.
Monika Covington dropped to 0-2 on the season for the Ladyjacks (0-4) as she surrendered all five runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts in the complete-game effort.
"I'm very pleased with the start, especially with the young kids on the mound. Kylie Vry and Stephanie Becker were outstanding, as were Misty (Flesher) and Lindsey (Dunlap)," head coach Jay Miller said. "We have some things to work on before heading to Texas A&M, but I'm very pleased with the way we played."
State clinched the tournament title as the top four in the order - Chelsea Bramlett, Spain, Bell and Bainbridge - collected two hits each against the Blazers (2-2).
MSU jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Spain reached on an error with one out. Two batters later Bainbridge lined a two-out, RBI triple to the wall in right field. Smith reached on an error, allowing Bainbridge to come home and put the Maroon and White up 2-0.
A Mandy Lowman lead-off home run in the second cut the lead to 2-1, and UAB knotted the game on a third-inning pop fly that bounced out of the glove to MSU shortstop Erin Nesbit. With the lead run at third and another runner at second, State elected to intentionally walk Lowman. The move paid off as Bulldog starter Misty Flesher got Kate Armstrong to line into an inning-ending double play.
The tie did not last long, however, as State took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. Brittany Gates led off the frame with a single. Bramlett followed with a line drive to right field, and an error allowed the pair to move into scoring position.
An errant throw by the UAB catcher, one of five Blazer errors on the afternoon, scored Gates and moved Bramlett to third. The three-time all-American and USA National Team member extended the lead to two runs as she beat the throw home on a Spain ground ball.
The two runs proved enough for Flesher as she picked up her second win of the weekend. The Lone Grove, Okla., native tossed five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with three strikeouts.
State gave Flesher another run in the fifth when Spain hit a lead-off triple and scored on a Bell base hit into left.
Rookie Stephanie Becker made the 5-2 lead hold up as she surrendered two hits over two scoreless innings to earn the save.
The Bulldogs added the final run in the bottom of the sixth as Bramlett reached on a one-out infield hit and scored on Spain's third double of the weekend.
Mississippi State takes its perfect start on the road for the first time this season when it travels to College Station, Texas, for the Aggie Classic. The Dawgs open the tournament Feb. 19, challenging Louisiana-Monroe and the host Aggies at 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
Bulldog Round-Robin All Tournament Team
MVP - Brittany Bell, Mississippi State
Jessie Bailey, Mississippi State
Erin Nesbit, Mississippi State
Misty Flesher, Mississippi State
Lindsey Dunlap, Mississippi State
Ali Bainbridge, Mississippi State
Jessie Spain, Mississippi State
Kylie Vry, Mississippi State
Casey Walden, UAB
Mandy Lowman, UAB
Cameron Skates, UAB
Martina Landrum, UAB
Jessica Arana, Stephen F. Austin
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vry, Kylie (1-0)
L: Monika Covington (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 2 ; Smith, Ka'ili 1
HR: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 1
RBI: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Bell, Brittany 3 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 1
SB: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Bailey, Jessie 1
Base Running:
CS: Kayla Gutowski 1
