Bulldogs Suffer Pair of Tough Losses at Ole Miss on Saturday

Saturday, March 20

Oxford, Miss.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

17-12, 1-3

Ole Miss (DH-1)

17-12, 4-4

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Vry, Smith Lead MSU to 3-0 Win Against Arkansas in Series Opener

Bulldogs Suffer Pair of Tough Losses at Ole Miss on Saturday

March 20, 2010 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: hailstate.com

• Official Statistics (Game 1)
• Official Statistics (Game 1) (PDF)
• Official Statistics (Game 2)
• Official Statistics (Game 2) (PDF)

OXFORD, Miss. – Ka'ili Smith hit her eighth home run of the season as the Mississippi State softball team fell 6-4 to Ole Miss in the opening game of a three-game Southeastern Conference series in Oxford, Miss. In Saturday's second game, Brittany Gates went 2-for-2 at the plate as the Bulldogs suffered a 9-2 setback.

The pair of losses drops the Bulldogs to 17-13 overall, 1-4 in SEC play. Ole Miss improves its overall tally to 18-12 and 4-4 in league play.

Smith's home run put her into a tie with Katie Cooley and Kellie Wilkerson for the most home runs by a Bulldog sophomore. Chelsea Bramlett went 3-for-8 at the plate on the afternoon, including a two-hit effort in the series opener. She also scored twice and stole a pair of bases, giving her 38-straight steals this season and an MSU-record 46 going back to 2009.

After failing to capitalize on a Bramlett base hit and stolen base in the top of the first, the Bulldogs held off a Rebel scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first.

Lead-off batter Corrine Doornberg, who went 2-for-2 at the plate, was hit by a pitch. She moved to third on a pair of illegal pitches that chased State starter Misty Flesher from the circle. Reliever Stephanie Becker got the Dawgs out of the inning unscathed, getting a pair of infield pop-outs and a line-out to keep Doornberg stranded at third base.

The Bulldogs broke-up the scoreless tie in the top of the third. Bramlett reached when Ole Miss first baseman Brittany Barnhill dropped the throw on a ground ball to shortstop. Bramlett stole her second base of the game, and two batters later, Brittany Bell walked.

Smith put the Dawgs up 3-0 as she took a pitch on the outside part of the plate and lined it over the fence in left field for her team-leading eighth home run of the season.

The lead was short-lived however, as the Rebels answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Cali Overbeck sparked the burst as she homered to center field to cut the lead to 3-1. Courtnie Ghinaudo, the ninth hitter in the order, followed with a single, and Alise Doubt and Lauren Grill each walked to load the bases.

Ole Miss tied the game at 3-3 as Brittany Barnhill lined a base hit into center field that scored Ghinaudo and Doubt and brought Kylie Vry to the mound for Mississippi State. Amber Tramp, the first batter Vry faced, lined a two-run single to center field that put the Rebels up 5-3.

Becker fell to 3-3 on the year as she allowed five runs on three hits in 2.1 innings. Vry was touched for a run and three hits while striking out one over the final 3.2 innings.

UM pushed its lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth as Overbeck was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a Doornberg base hit.

The Bulldogs scratched back in the fifth, scoring a run to cut the deficit to 6-4. Bramlett reached on an error for the second-straight at-bat and came home on Jessie Spain's double to the wall in center field. Spain took third on a Bell ground-out, but was unable to score as she was put-out in a rundown between third base and the plate on a Ka'ili Smith ground ball.

“It wasn't a good day for us. We didn't pitch well and we didn't get good hitting or defense,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said. “We have to get better pitching, but our offense also has to give our pitchers run support. Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow and win the final game of the series.”

In the afternoon's second game, the Rebels jumped to the early advantage with two runs in the bottom of the first. Doornberg was hit by a pitch to open the game, and she moved to second on a base hit by Alise Doubt. The pair stole third and second, respectively, before scoring on Brittany Barnhill's bases-loaded single off State starter Lindsey Dunlap.

Dunlap, making her first appearance since Feb. 20, suffered the loss to fall to 2-2 as she allowed two runs and two hits in 0.1 innings. Becker tossed 3.2 frames, giving up three runs (two earned) and six hits while striking out three. Flesher gave up the game's final four runs on four hits.

State had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the third as Brittany Gates reached on the first of her two hits in the game. After stealing second, she tried to score on a Bell base hit but was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, Barnhill, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI in the game, led off with a single. After moving to second on a sacrifice fly, she tried to score on Overbeck's base hit but was thrown out at home by Gates.

Barnhill also picked up the win in the circle, improving to 8-3 as she allowed two runs (one earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Lindsey Perry went the rest of the way, allowing a hit while striking out two.

The Rebels extended the lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of errors put Ally Presswood and Ghinaudo on base. A sacrifice moved them into scoring position, and Presswood scored on a Grill base hit before Ghinaudo was thrown out at the plate by Gates.

RBI base hits by Dowdy and Ghinaudo in the fifth plated three runs to push the UM lead to 6-0, but State responded with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Bailey opened the frame with a double to the gap in right-center. Two batters later, Bainbridge brought her home with a two-bagger to the wall in left-center field.

Erin Nesbit followed with a walk and moved to second on Allie Heon's fielder's choice that put Ali Bainbridge out at home. Bramlett singled to bring Nesbit home and cut the lead to 6-2.

The Rebels, however, tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth as Amber Tramp singled home a run and Overbeck plated two with a double off the wall in left field.

The two teams close the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.