Mississippi State
11-6
Mississippi Valley State
5-11
Bulldog Softball Sweeps Saturday's Twinbill To Advance To Bulldg Classic Championship
March 06, 2010 | Softball
• Official Statistics (vs. MVSU)
• Official Statistics (vs. MVSU) (PDF)
• Official Statistics (vs. Wright State)
• Official Statistics (vs. Wright State) (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Ali Bainbridge collected three hits and drove in five runs Saturday afternoon as the Mississippi State softball team defeated Mississippi Valley State 11-1 and Wright State 7-2 to earn place in the Bulldog Classic championship game.
Mississippi State (12-6) will meet Troy in the 1 p.m. championship game at the MSU Softball Field. The Bulldogs defeated the Trojans 8-0 on Friday. Admission to Sunday's action is free.
Bainbridge went 1-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs in Saturday's opener before closing the day with a 2-for-3, three-RBI effort against Wright State.
Senior Chelsea Bramlett collected a pair of hits in the two games to push her hit streak to 15 games, one shy of her career high. The Cordova, Tenn., native also stole a pair of bases, giving her 19-straight for the season and 26-consecutive stolen bases going back to the 2009 season. Her 26-straight successful steals ties her own school fourth-best mark set from Feb. 8-Mar. 21, 2008.
Sophomore Ka'ili Smith scored four of State's runs on the afternoon. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native pushed her hit streak to seven games before having it halted against the Raiders.
A four-run first inning proved the difference for Mississippi State against Wright State (5-10). Bramlett led-off the home half of the first with a base hit through the left side. She immediately stole second and took third when the catcher's throw sailed into center field. Jessie Spain gave the Dawgs the 1-0 lead as she lined a base hit to center field.
Spain advanced to second on a wild pitch, and pinch-runner Allie Heon took third on a ground-out to second base. Heon gave MSU a 2-0 cushion as she scored on a passed ball. Smith walked and Jessie Bailey collected a hit and took second on the throw to third.
An illegal pitch plated Smith for a 3-0 advantage. Bailey, who moved to third on the illegal pitch, scored the inning's fourth run on Bainbridge's base hit to right field.
Jamie Perkins, who paced WSU with a pair of hits, singled home two runs in the top of the third, but the Bulldogs pushed the lead back out to four runs with a pair in the bottom of the third.
Courtney Nesbit lined a lead-off single to center field to open the frame. Smith followed with another of State's nine hits, and a Bailey sacrifice moved the pair into scoring position. Bainbridge scored Nesbit with a ground-out to second, and Smith scored on a Brittany Bell infield hit to extend the advantage to 6-2.
The cushion would be plenty for Bulldog freshmen pitchers Stephanie Becker and Kylie Vry. Vry allowed four hits and struck out four over the final quartet of innings to earn the win and run her record to 4-2. Becker tossed the opening three innings, giving up two runs on five hits.
"These were two good wins for us. Misty (Flesher) was outstanding in the first game, and Kylie (Vry) and Stephanie (Becker) threw well against Wright State," MSU head coach Jay Miller said. "Offensively, we played really well. Wright State scored a couple of runs in the second game, but we answered right back and kept the pressure on. I think that is a good sign for our ball club. Tomorrow is the championship game, and that's the one you have to win."
The Dawgs plated their final run in the bottom of the fifth when Smith delivered a one-out double to center and scored two batters later on a Bainbridge two-bagger to the wall in right field.
Sharon Palma (4-5) suffered the loss for Wright State, giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits in 2.2 innings. Melanie Heyne threw the final 3.1 frames, surrendering MSU's fifth-inning run and three hits.
The Bulldogs' stellar showing in the nightcap followed a dominating win against Mississippi Valley State in the opening game of the afternoon.
Bailey paced MSU with a pair of hits, and Bainbridge, Erin Nesbit and Jessica Cooley drove in two runs each.
Misty Flesher ran her record to 4-2 as she allowed a run and four hits while striking out four in the complete-game effort.
State struck with a run in the first as Bramlett singled, stole second and scored on a Courtney Nesbit ground-out.
The Bulldogs extended the lead with three runs in the third inning. Bainbridge scored the Dawgs' first run of the inning as she reached on a fielder's choice and later scored along with Bell on Cooley's pinch-hit double. Cooley put Mississippi State up 4-0 as she came around to score on a wild pitch.
Courtney Nesbit sparked State's seven-run third as she reached on an infield single to third base. A Smith walk and a Bailey single loaded the bases. Bainbridge drove in a pair of runs with a single and took second on the throw.
Bainbridge's base hit chased MVSU starter Brittany J. Franklin in favor of Kimberly Spivey. Franklin was touched for eight runs and six hits in two innings of work to fall to 1-1 on the year. Spivey allowed one earned run (three total) on three hits over the final two frames.
Spivey didn't fare much better in the frame. An illegal pitch brought Bailey home to make it a 7-0 game. Bell followed with a walk, and after stealing second, Erin Nesbit cleared the bases and put the Dawgs up 9-0.
Chelsea Raines drove in Erin Nesbit with a single through the right side of the infield before scoring the game's final on a Heon base hit to right field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Flesher, Misty (4-2)
L: Brittany J. Franklin (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Ashley Hobbs 1 ; Ashley Lawrence 1
RBI: Ashley Hobbs 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ashley Lawrence 1
HBP: Tiana Parks 1
Batting:
2B: Bailey, Jessie 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 1
RBI: Raines, Chelsea 1 ; Heon, Allie 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 2 ; Nesbit, Erin 2 ; Cooley, Jessica 2
SH: Heon, Allie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bramlett, Chelsea 1 ; Raines, Chelsea 1 ; Nesbit, Courtney 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 1 ; Bailey, Jessie 1 ; Bainbridge, Ali 2 ; Bell, Brittany 2 ; Nesbit, Erin 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 1
SB: Bramlett, Chelsea 1 ; Bell, Brittany 1
HBP: Bell, Brittany 1
PO: Heon, Allie 1
