Bell's Walk-off Hit Rallies MSU Softball to 5-4 Win, Split with No. 19 Tennessee

Tuesday, March 9

Starkville

4:30 PM

Mississippi State

13-7, 0-1

#19 Tennessee (DH-1)

14-4, 1-0

Tennessee

Mississippi State

Bell's Walk-off Hit Rallies MSU Softball to 5-4 Win, Split with No. 19 Tennessee

March 09, 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)

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Two days after driving in the winning run in the championship game of the Bulldog Classic, junior Brittany Bell came through with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning that lifted the Bulldog softball team to a 5-4 win over No. 19 Tennessee and a split of Tuesday's SEC-opening doubleheader at the MSU Softball Field.

The Bulldogs were unable to hold an early lead in the opening game, falling 8-4 to the Lady Vols.

After Tennessee (14-5, 1-1 SEC) took a 4-3 lead with a run in the top of the seventh, State's Chelsea Bramlett, who extended her hit streak to a career-high 18 games with a 2-for-3 evening, sparked the deciding frame with a lead-off double. Two batters later, Jessie Bailey, who contributed two RBI in the game, was hit by a pitch.

Bramlett and Bailey moved to third and second, respectively, on a wild pitch, and sophomore Ka'ili Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases. Bainbridge stepped to the plate, and after falling behind 0-2, worked the count full before lining a base hit that scored Bramlett with the tying run. The game-tying hit continued a string of Bainbridge heroics against Tennessee.

The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native hit the winning three-run home run in the rubber game last season after tallying the walk-off base hit in the bottom of the seventh as a freshman in 2008.

Bell followed with a fly ball to shallow left field, and Ashley Andrews was unable to make the over-the-shoulder catch as Bailey came home with the winning run.

“It was a great comeback for our team today,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said. “We got some big key hits from Ali Bainbridge and Brittany Bell. Brittany had the game-winning hit again after doing it on Sunday.”

The win improved sophomore Misty Flesher to 5-2 on the season. The Lone Grove, Okla., native went the distance, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out two.

“It was sloppy out there with the conditions, but I thought Misty did a great job in the second game in terms of battling through some tough situations,” Miller said. “She really bounced back and made a pitch when she needed it. That's a good sign for our team to have her step up and throw a game like that in our first SEC game.”

Cat Hosfield took the loss for UT to fall to 7-4. Hosfield threw 5.2 innings over two stints, allowing five runs (three earned) and eight hits while striking out two.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in both games. State took the early advantage in game two by plating a run in the bottom of the first. Bramlett opened the game with a base hit to right field. She scored two batters later when Bailey ripped a double to left-center.

Mississippi State added two more runs in the bottom of the second to take the three-run cushion. With one out in the inning, Erin Nesbit reached on an error by the UT shortstop. Shelby Fisher moved her to second with a base hit to left field, and the pair advanced on a wild pitch.

A Courtney Nesbit fielder's choice scored her sister Erin to put MSU up 2-0, and after Bramlett was intentionally walked, Bailey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home Fisher.

Tennessee used a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to tie the game and set-up the deciding seventh.

In the day's opening game, which was delayed 30 minutes by rain, State scored three unearned runs in the first inning, thanks in part to a pair of infield errors by Tennessee. A throwing error by UT starter Ivy Renfroe allowed Heon to reach with one out. Heon moved to second when Courtney Nesbit was hit by a pitch, and she scored on a Smith double to left-center.

Nesbit put State up 2-0 as she scored on a Bainbridge ground ball that was misplayed by the Tennessee shortstop. Smith scored the inning's third run on a Bell infield single.

Tennessee answered with a single score in the second inning and took the lead with three runs in the fourth inning. An RBI-single by Kat Dotson gave the Vols a 4-3 lead.

MSU tied the contest on an RBI-single by Jessie Bailey in the fifth inning. Smith sparked the frame with her second double of the contest, a two-out liner to right-center. She scored as Bailey dropped a base hit into right field.

The Vols, however, took control with four runs in the sixth inning on a Dotson two-run triple and a Jessica Spigner two-run home run.

Stephanie Becker (3-2) pitched the final four innings in relief of starter Kylie Vry. Becker allowed five runs and six hits over four innings, while Vry gave up three runs on six hits while striking out a season-high seven through three innings.

Renfroe went five innings, allowing one unearned run (eight total) while striking out eight. Hosfield threw the final two frames, giving up three hits.

The Bulldogs and Lady Vols play the rubber game at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.