Mississippi State
5-0
Louisiana-Monroe
3-3
Bulldog Softball Splits Opening Day of Aggie Classic
February 19, 2010 | Softball
• Official Statistics (vs. ULM)
• Official Statistics (vs. ULM) (PDF)
• Official Statistics (vs. Texas A&M)
• Official Statistics (vs. Texas A&M) (PDF)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Ka'ili Smith led three Bulldogs with multiple hits, and pitchers Lindsey Dunlap and Stephanie Becker combined for a two-hit shutout as the Mississippi State softball team opened the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas, with a 4-0 win against Louisiana-Monroe.
Senior all-American Chelsea Bramlett paced MSU with two hits in Friday's second game as the Bulldogs (5-1) fell 9-0 to host Texas A&M in five innings.
Smith, a 2009 all-SEC and all-region selection, went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in a run in State's win over Louisiana-Monroe which gave head coach Jay Miller his 250th win at MSU. Courtney Nesbit added a home run in a two-hit effort while Bramlett collected a pair of hits and scored a run.
The Bulldog offense gave Dunlap an early lead with a pair of first-inning runs. Bramlett, a three-time all-American, led off with a bunt single. She took second on a Jessie Spain ground ball before junior Brittany Bell was hit by a pitch.
Bramlett and Bell stole third and second, respectively, and Bramlett scored when Ali Bainbridge struck out and reached on a wild pitch.
Smith extended the State lead to 2-0 as she lined a two-out base hit to left field that scored Bainbridge.
ULM's Brianna Love hit a lead-off double in the home half of the first inning, but Dunlap preserved the 2-0 lead with a pair of strikeouts and an infield pop-out.
Dunlap improved to 2-0 on the year as she allowed just two hits and struck out five over 4.1 innings. Freshman Stephanie Becker notched her second save in as many outings as she threw 2.2 hitless innings.
State's offense cushioned the lead with a run in the sixth on junior Courtney Nesbit's lead-off home run over the wall in left field. The round-tripper was the first of the year for the Acworth, Ga., native.
Freshman Jessica Cooley sparked the Dawgs' seventh, blooping a one-out single to right field and advancing to second on an error. Two batters later, fellow rookie Erin Nesbit continued her hot start to the season, driving a single to left field that scored Cooley from second base.
Tiffany Mills fell to 0-2 on the season after allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits with four strikeouts in the complete-game effort.
“I thought we got a great effort on the mound from Lindsey and Stephanie against Louisiana-Monroe,” Miller said. “We had some opportunities to put them away, but we let them hang around. It was good to see Courtney Nesbit hit a big home run for us.”
Against the Aggies, the Maroon and White were never able to recover from a four-run first inning.
In addition to Bramlett's two hits, Spain, Smith and Bainbridge each tallied a hit in the contest.
Bulldog starter Misty Flesher (2-1) suffered her first setback of the year. The Lone Grove, Okla., native tossed 1.2 innings over two stints, giving up four runs (two earned) on one hit with two strikeouts and three walks. Freshman Kylie Vry pitched the middle 3.1 frames, surrendering five runs (three earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and a trio of walks.
“Against Texas A&M we kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Miller said. “Lead-off walks turned into more walks, and we didn't do a good job adjusting both at the plate and on the mound. Hopefully we can bounce back strong tomorrow.”
Macie Morrow led off the Aggies' first inning with a walk. Two batters later, Meagan May also walked, one of four issued by MSU pitchers in the inning. Rhiannon Kliesing followed with a base hit to right-center, and a throwing error by sophomore Brittany Gates allowed Morrow to score the game's first run.
May put Texas A&M up 2-0 as she scored on a wild pitch following an Alex Reynolds walk. Melissa Dumezich hit a ground ball to short, but Bramlett was unable to corral Erin Nesbit's throw at the plate. Kelsea Orsak delivered the fourth run of the inning with her ground ball to first base.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to cut into the 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Smith and Bainbridge each singled to lead-off the inning. A ground-out moved the pair into scoring position, but a pair of strikeouts ended the threat.
State missed out on another scoring opportunity in the third. With one out in the frame, Bramlett and Spain delivered back-to-back base hits, but the Dawgs were unable to get the clutch hit once again as a fielder's choice, groundout and strikeout ended the inning.
Dumezich gave the Aggies a 5-0 advantage as she walked and later scored on a Morrow base hit up the middle in a five-run fourth inning. A Kelsey Spittler double plated a run after Orsak came home on a wild pitch. May added another run on a double down the line in left field, and Reynolds capped the inning with an RBI single to right.
Kliesing picked up the win to improve to 4-0. She allowed five hits and struck out seven in the complete-game effort.
Mississippi State returns to action on Saturday, challenging Oregon State at 10 a.m. and Texas A&M in a 3 p.m. first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dunlap, Lindsey (2-0)
L: Mills (0-2)
S: Becker, Stephanie (2)
Batting:
HR: Nesbit, Courtney 1
RBI: Smith, Ka'ili 1 ; Nesbit, Erin 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bramlett, Chelsea 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1
SB: Bramlett, Chelsea 1 ; Bell, Brittany 2 ; Bainbridge, Ali 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1
HBP: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Nesbit, Erin 1
Batting:
2B: Love 1
Base Running:
SB: Salanoa 1
