MSU Softball Falls 6-5 In Extra Innings To Colorado State

Friday, March 12

Fort Collins, Colo.

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

14-9

Colorado State

13-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Colorado State	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	1	6	7	0
Mississippi State	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	5	12	0

MSU Softball Falls 6-5 In Extra Innings To Colorado State

March 12, 2010 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)

FRESNO, Calif. - The Mississippi State softball team dropped a 6-5, eight-inning heartbreaker to Colorado State on a rainy Friday afternoon at the Bayer Cropscience Classic in Fresno, Calif.

Brittany Bell paced the Bulldogs (14-9) with three hits and two RBI, including the game-tying home run with two outs in the seventh inning. Senior Chelsea Bramlett went 2-for-2 at the plate, driving in a run and scoring another while extending her career-long hit streak to 20 games.

The Cordova, Tenn., native also stole two bases in the game to remain perfect on the year with 24. Going back to the 2009 season, Bramlett has now swiped 32-straight bases without being thrown out.

The Bulldogs struck with a run in the first inning for the 16th time this season. Bramlett sparked the frame with a bunt single and a stolen base. Jessie Spain was hit by a pitch while trying to move her to third.

Courtney Nesbit moved the pair with a sacrifice bunt, and Bramlett put State up 1-0 as she came home on Ka'ili Smith's ground-out to first base.

MSU starter Kylie Vry kept the Rams hitless until the fourth, when Colorado State managed to tie the game 1-1. With one out in the frame, Allison Majam and Ashley Munoz reached on back-to-back singles. A Robyn Mask walk loaded the bases, and Sarah Sullivan plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Vry kept the lead run at third base as she got Brianna Donohue to pop-out to shortstop Erin Nesbit for the final out of the inning.

The tie didn't last long, however, as the Dawgs struck again in the fourth inning. Senior Jessie Bailey bounced a lead-off single through the left side of the infield and came home as the next batter, junior Brittany Bell, lined a double down the left-field line.

Bell moved to third on a passed ball, and the Bulldogs loaded the bases when Erin Nesbit was walked and pinch-hitter Jessica Cooley was hit by a pitch. Bramlett stepped to the plate and lined a sacrifice fly to left that brought Bell home and extended the State advantage to 3-1.

The Rams, however, tied the game in the top of the sixth off State reliever Stephanie Becker. Majam reached on an infield base hit to open the frame, and the next batter, Munoz, homered to left field to knot the game at 3-3. Sarah Sullivan kept the Rams going with a base hit. After moving to second on a ground-out, Becker struck-out Caitlan Stem to keep the game tied.

State threatened in the bottom of the sixth but came up empty to send the game to the final inning knotted at three. Ali Bainbridge was hit by a pitch and Erin Nesbit lined a base hit to right field.

Bainbridge was thrown out at third on the double steal attempt, and after an intentional walk to Bramlett, Spain flew-out to right field to end the inning.

A walk to Jenna Krogh and two-straight balls to Christine Thomsen in the top of the seventh brought Misty Flesher into the circle. Flesher walked Thomsen, and CSU relief pitcher Rebecca Penland helped her own cause by bouncing a single up the middle that scored Krogh and put Colorado State up 4-3.

Majam pushed the lead to 5-3 as she hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored pinch-runner Ivory Allen. State prevented another run from scoring as Erin Nesbit was able to throw-out Ashley McQueen at the plate.

Flesher suffered the loss for State, falling to 5-3 on the year. The Lone Grove, Okla., native tossed 1.1 innings in relief, giving up two runs, one earned, on a pair of hits. Vry worked 4.2 innings over two stints, allowing a run and two hits while striking out three. Becker tossed two innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out three.

"We didn't get a good pitching performance tonight. We had eight walks, and that was the frustrating thing. We have to get better on the mound because eight walks is not going to win you many games," Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller said. "We had some opportunities to score, but we didn't move runners and execute. I was proud of the way we fought back in the seventh and hit two home runs to tie the game. We just have to take advantage of opportunities. Hopefully we can do a better job of that tomorrow."

The Bulldogs weren't done fighting, however. Down to their last out, Bailey cut the lead to 5-4 as she lined a solo home run, her second of the season, over the fence in left-center. Bell, the hero in State's wins over Troy and Tennessee, tied the game as she hit her second home run of the year out left field.

Colorado State went up 6-5 in the top of the eighth as Mask, who was placed at second via the international tiebreaker, took third on a Sullivan base hit and scored on a Stem sacrifice fly to center field.

The Bulldogs put Erin Nesbit at second to open the home half of the eighth. She took third on pinch-hitter Allie Heon's sacrifice bunt. Bramlett walked and promptly stole second to put the winning run in scoring position.

CSU starter Kelli Eubanks came back in and tossed the final 1.1 innings to pick up the win and improve to 9-5. Eubanks went 4.2 frames total, allowing three runs and nine hits while striking out four Bulldogs. Penland gave up two runs and three hits over 3.1 innings.

The Dawgs return to action on Saturday, taking on Georgetown at 1:30 p.m. CT and East Tennessee State at 4 p.m.