Bramlett Sets Steals Record As Bulldogs Split at South Carolina

Saturday, April 17

Columbia, S.C.

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

23-23, 4-14

South Carolina (DH-1)

10-32, 0-20

Mississippi State

South Carolina

Bramlett Named SEC Softball Player of the Week

Bramlett Sets Steals Record As Bulldogs Split at South Carolina

April 17, 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)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Mississippi State senior Chelsea Bramlett set the school single-season stolen base record as the Bulldog softball team split a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against South Carolina at Beckham Field in Columbia, S.C.

Mississippi State won a 2-1 decision in the opener before South Carolina won the second game 8-4 to force the rubber game on Sunday. The Bulldogs moved to 23-24 overall, 4-15 in SEC play while the Gamecocks went to 11-32 overall and 1-20 in league play.

Bramlett swiped three bases in the opener to tie the record before setting the new mark with her 55th in the opening inning of game two. The Cordova, Tenn., native remained perfect on the bases this season while swiping her 63rd-straight base going back to 2009.

Bramlett has now stolen 201 bases for her career, putting her second in SEC and NCAA Division I history.

“Chelsea has been great on the bases all year and throughout her career here at Mississippi State. It's nice to see her hard work pay off by setting the steals record again this year,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said.

In the series opener, the Bulldogs scored both of their runs in their opening at-bat. Bramlett led off with a bouncing single through the right side of the infield. Two batters later, Ka'ili Smith and Brittany Bell walked to load the bases.

Jessie Bailey followed with a fielder's choice that retired Bramlett at home for the second out of the inning. State managed to get a pair of runs across, however, as South Carolina shortstop Evan Childs' throw to third on a Courtney Nesbit ground ball sailed wide of the bag to allow Smith and Bell to come home.

State starter Misty Flesher retired eight of the first 10 Gamecocks she faced before USC managed to cut the deficit to 2-1 with a run in the fourth.

Kaitlin Westfall led off with a double, but she was thrown out at home by MSU's Smith on a Childs single. Childs scored USC's lone run on an April Borchardt single.

Flesher improved to 10-8 on the year as she allowed the run on four hits with two strikeouts over four innings. Stephanie Becker tossed 2.1 scoreless innings before sophomore Lindsey Dunlap retired the final two batters to notch her second save of the season.

Just as they did in the series opener, State struck with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning of game two. Bramlett reached on a throwing error, and after stealing second, came home as Smith belted her 10th home run of the season. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native's 10 round-trippers tied Iyhia McMichael for the fifth-most in a season.

South Carolina answered with the tying runs in the bottom of the first before taking a 3-2 lead with a run in the third. Childs opened the third with a single. She took second on a passed ball and came home on a ground ball and a Bulldog throwing miscue.

State put a run across in the fifth to tie the game 3-3. With one out in the frame, freshman Jessica Cooley, who went 2-for-2 in the game, lined a triple down the line in right field. She scored as the next hitter, Jessie Spain, hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Gamecocks took a 6-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Laura Mendes kept the inning alive with a single. After a walk to Milks, Westfall lined a three-run home run over the fence in left field off Becker.

Becker took the loss to fall to 3-5 on the season. The Aurora, Ill., native allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits with a strikeout and a walk over four innings of work. Dunlap drew the start in game two and failed to get an out before returning in the fifth inning. The Hueytown, Ala., native surrendered four runs and four hits while walking four over two innings.

“We did a nice job in the circle in game one, but our pitching wasn't there in game two. We started out putting a couple of runs in the first inning but let them right back in the game in the bottom of the inning. We gave up the home run in the fourth, and if we hold them there, we have an opportunity,” Miller said. “We have to get more hits. We hit the ball well, but they went right to the defender or they made a great defensive play. I didn't think our at-bats were bad overall, but we just couldn't get any results out of them.”

After USC pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 8-3 lead, State added its fourth run in the top of the seventh. Cooley collected her second hit of the game and moved to second on a Bramlett base hit before taking third on the Gamecocks' second miscue of the game. Bainbridge brought her home with a sacrifice fly.

Sunday's rubber game is set for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch and will be televised live on SportSouth.