Mississippi State
26-29, 7-20
#4 Alabama
45-9, 23-4
MSU Softball Ends Season with 6-1 Setback to No. 3 Alabama
May 09, 2010 | Softball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Chelsea Bramlett went 2-for-3 at the plate in her final collegiate game as the Mississippi State softball team fell 6-1 to No. 3 Alabama Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.
Bramlett scored State's run to take sole possession of the school's career runs scored record (219). Fellow senior Jessie Bailey ended her career on a high note, lining a base hit down the left-field line in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In addition to capturing Mississippi State's career runs record, Bramlett set the SEC single-season batting average record (.536) en route to garnering the top career mark (.461) in league history. The Cordova, Tenn., native set MSU's single-season and career steals record while also topping MSU's career charts in batting average and hits.
Bramlett's stolen base on Sunday, her 61st of the season, gave her third place in SEC single-season annals.
Bailey, a three-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, finished her final season with a personal-bests in batting average (.296) and doubles (11).
“Chelsea and Jessie are the epitome of the term student-athlete. Both of them have been tremendous in the classroom, and what they have meant to this team on and off the field is immeasurable,” Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller said. “We have never seen an athlete have the accolades and records like Chelsea Bramlett, and Jessie Bailey has been an anchor for us at third base for four years. It's going to be really different looking up and not seeing those two out on the field next fall.”
The Bulldogs end the 2010 season 26-29 overall and 7-20 in SEC play. Alabama improved to 45-9 and 23-4 in league play.
“Looking back at the season, I thought our young players gained some great experience playing at the SEC level,” Miller said. “Hopefully that will pay off for us in the future.”
In Sunday's season finale, Alabama scored all but one of its runs via home run. Whitney Larsen put the Crimson Tide up 2-0 in the first inning as she hit a two-run shot to left-center field off MSU reliever Stephanie Becker.
Becker finished her rookie season with a 3-6 record as she faced all but one batter in the game and struck out four.
“I thought Stephanie did a good job in the circle today,” Miller said. “We had opportunities again today and didn't take advantage of them. You have to capitalize on the opportunities you're given against a top-five team like Alabama. It's a frustrating end to the season, especially for Chelsea and Jessie because you would have liked to have seen them end their careers on a positive note.”
The Dawgs cut Alabama's lead to 2-1 as they struck in the bottom of the opening frame. Bramlett reached on a high bouncer to second base. After stealing second, she came around to score as the throw to first on an Ali Bainbridge ground ball to third sailed wide and out of the field of play.
That would be as close as Mississippi State would get, however, as Alabama plated two more runs in the third on a Charlotte Morgan home run and a run in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Kelsi Dunne went the distance for Alabama to earn the win and improve to 24-4 on the season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kelsi Dunne (24-4)
L: Becker, Stephanie (3-6)
Batting:
2B: Whitney Larsen 1
HR: Charlotte Morgan 1 ; Whitney Larsen 1 ; Amanda Locke 1
RBI: Charlotte Morgan 2 ; Whitney Larsen 3 ; Amanda Locke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kayla Braud 1 ; Cassie Reilly-Boccia 2 ; Charlotte Morgan 1 ; Whitney Larsen 1 ; Amanda Locke 1
CS: Kayla Braud 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bramlett, Chelsea 1
SB: Bramlett, Chelsea 1
CS: Bramlett, Chelsea 1
PO: Bainbridge, Ali 1
