MSU Softball Rallies For Walk-Off Win Against Oregon State

Sunday, February 21

College Station, Texas

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

7-2

Oregon State

4-6

Oregon State

Mississippi State

Bell's Hit Rallies MSU Softball to 4-3 Win, Bulldog Classic Championship

MSU Softball Rallies For Walk-Off Win Against Oregon State

February 21, 2010 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

• Official Statistics (vs. Oregon State)
• Official Statistics (vs. Oregon State) (PDF)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Brittany Bell scored the winning run on a dropped fly ball in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Mississippi State softball team rallied to defeat Oregon State 6-5 Sunday afternoon at the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas.

The Bulldogs (7-2) rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh and scored the winner in the home half of the eighth after Oregon State (4-6) took a 5-4 lead with a run in the top of the inning. With State's Jessie Spain at second base via the international tiebreaker rule, Bell worked back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. The pair moved into scoring position on a Ka'ili Smith sacrifice, and Bainbridge brought in the tying run with a fly ball to right field.

With two outs in the inning, Bailey lifted a fly ball to the warning track in right field. Kilee Lippincott had the ball pop out of her glove, allowing Bell, who paced Mississippi State with two hits, to come home with the deciding run.

The State rally helped Misty Flesher pick up the win and improve to 3-1 on the season. Flesher turned in a stellar effort in the circle, giving up three earned runs (five total) on eight hits with six strikeouts over the full eight innings. The Lone Grove, Okla., native helped keep the Dawgs in striking distance as she held OSU to a run and three hits over the final six innings.

"Misty really showed a lot today. She hung one pitch that they hit out of the park, but other than that she kept us in the game," MSU head coach Jay Miller said. "I was very proud of the way she pitched today. Offensively we struggled, but we kept battling and were able to make some adjustments and find some holes in the seventh inning. I felt good with our ability to manufacture runs."

State staked Flesher to an early lead with a run in the home half of the first inning. Chelsea Bramlett led off with an infield hit. After stealing second and third, the Cordova, Tenn., native scored on Bell's one-out base hit to put the Bulldogs up 1-0.

The lead was short-lived, however, as OSU took a 4-1 lead in the second on an Allison Kutz three-run home run and a Bulldog fielding miscue.

Flesher and Oregon State starter Paige Hall kept the offenses silent until the Bulldogs broke through with the three-run seventh.

Smith, Bainbridge and Bailey each reached to load th e bases with one out. Courtney Nesbit reached on an infield hit to score Smith and cut the lead to 4-2. Erin Nesbit followed with another infield hit that plated Bainbridge and made it a 4-3 game. After a Jessica Cooley ground ball retired Bailey at the plate for the second out of the inning, Nesbit beat the throw home on a Bramlett ground ball to knot the score at 4-4 and send the game to the decisive eighth inning.

Hall fell to 3-6 on the year as she surrendered six runs, three earned, and scattered six hits while striking out five in the losing effort.

The Bulldogs return to the road next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ga., to meet Massachusetts, Hofstra, N.C. State, Maryland and Illinois State in the Feb. 26-28 NFCA Leadoff Classic.