Bramlett Sets Career Hits Record as Dawgs Drop Pair of Games at Arkansas

Saturday, March 27

Fayetteville, Ark.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

19-14, 2-5

Arkansas (DH-1)

19-11, 3-3

Mississippi State

Arkansas

Bramlett Sets Career Hits Record as Dawgs Drop Pair of Games at Arkansas

March 27, 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)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior Chelsea Bramlett became Mississippi State's career hits leader as the Bulldog softball team fell 7-2 and 11-6 to Arkansas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Ark.

Bramlett went 3-for-4 in the second game and 4-for-7 on the day to pass Keri McCallum for the school career record with 320 hits. The Cordova, Tenn., native also scored three runs to move 16 back of Iyhia McMichael's career mark.

She also stayed perfect on the bases this year, swiping three to improve to 43-for-43 on the year. Going back to the 2009 season, Bramlett has now stolen 51-straight bases without being thrown out.

“We are very proud of Chelsea for setting the career hits record,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said. “She has enjoyed a tremendous career at Mississippi State, and to see the names she has passed in the record books is a testament to how great her career has been.”

Saturday's pair of losses drops Mississippi State to 19-15 overall, 2-6 in SEC play. The Razorbacks improved to 4-3 in league action while taking their overall tally to 20-11.

Junior Ali Bainbridge also notched a four-hit afternoon, matching Bramlett with a 3-for-4 effort in the nightcap of the twin bill. In the opening game of the series, fellow junior Jessie Spain paced Mississippi State with her third home run of the season.

Bramlett opened the afternoon's first game with a base hit to second base. She proceeded to steal second and third before scoring on Brittany Bell's sacrifice fly to left field.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Arkansas' Miranda Dixon hit a three-run home run to left-center in the bottom half of the first off MSU starter Lindsey Dunlap to set-up Dixon's ninth home run of the season.

Arkansas pushed the lead to 5-1 with two runs in the bottom of the second. Jessica Waddle was hit by a pitch with one out, and Bachkora, who went 2-for-3 in the game, brought her home with a home run to center field.

State brought Stephanie Becker to the circle after Dunlap, who fell to 3-3 with the loss, issued a two-out walk to Becca Carden. Carden stole second, but Becker got Smith to ground-out to third base to end the inning.

Becker allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits over 3.1 innings. Redshirt sophomore Misty Flesher tossed the final inning, allowing a hit while striking out one.

State was unable to capitalize on an opportunity to cut into the four-run deficit in the fourth inning. Bainbridge and Bell opened the frame with back-to-back walks. Bainbridge was thrown out trying to steal third, and Bell was doubled-up when Griffiths came up with a Ka'ili Smith line drive.

Arkansas extended the lead to 7-1 with two more runs in the fourth. Brittany Griffiths drew a lead-off walk, and Bachkora reached as Bell was unable to come up with a fly ball to shallow center field. Smith cleared the bases with a double to the gap in left-center field.

The Dawgs put their final run on the scoreboard up in the top of the sixth as Spain took the second pitch she saw from Hope McLemore over the fence in left field.

McLemore improved to 11-4 as she allowed the two runs and five hits while striking out six in the complete-game effort.

Just as they did in the opening game, State struck in the opening inning of game two. Bramlett led off with an infield single for the second-straight game. She took third on a Bainbridge base hit and scored as Arkansas starter Layne McGuirt was called for an illegal pitch. Bainbridge took third on the illegal pitch and put State up 2-0 as she scored on Ka'ili Smith's double to left field.

In the bottom of the second, the Razorbacks took advantage of five MSU walks to take a 5-2 lead they would not relinquish. Dixon walked and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches from State starter Kylie Vry, who fell to 6-5 after giving up five runs on two hits over 1.1 innings.

A sacrifice fly by Emily Jones scored Dixon to cut the deficit to 2-1, and Brittany Robison gave the Razorbacks the 3-2 lead as she cleared the bases with a double. Following a walk to Griffiths that brought Becker into the circle, Bachkora hit an apparent home run to center field, but she was called out for passing the runner at first base to put the score at 5-2.

The Dawgs cut the lead to 5-4 with a pair of runs the next half inning. Bramlett lined a lead-off single and stole second. She took third on a Bainbridge base hit and scored on Smith's ground-out to shortstop. Bainbridge cut the Arkansas lead to a single run as she came home on a wild pitch.

“I thought we did a better job offensively in the second game. You have to give a lot of credit to McLemore for the way she kept us off-balance in the first game,” Miller said. “Walks and hit batters gave them the opportunity to have big innings. You can't walk 14 batters in this league and win games. Hopefully we can come out strong tomorrow and close the series on a positive note.”

Arkansas answered State's two-run frame, extending the advantage to 9-4 with a Courtney Breault third-inning home run and three runs in the bottom of the fourth on an error and a Dixon two-run home run.

Those runs came off Dunlap, who went 2.1 innings after registering the final out of the Hogs' second inning.

Dixon, who drove in six runs on the afternoon, also earned the win in the circle, improving to 2-2 on the season as she allowed two runs on five hits over the middle 2.1 innings.

Mississippi State plated two more runs in the top of the fifth to cut the UA lead to 9-6. Smith reached on a fielder's choice and moved to third on a Jessie Bailey base hit down the right-field line. Freshman Jessica Cooley plated the pair as she lined a base hit to right field.

State was unable to get any closer as McLemore shut down the Bulldog bats over the final two innings after Arkansas added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off Flesher, State's fourth pitcher of the afternoon.

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