MSU Softball Sweeps Wallace State in Fall DH
September 26, 2010 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State remained perfect in fall softball action with a doubleheader sweep of Wallace State Community College Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field. The Bulldogs won the opener 4-3 in eight innings before rolling to a 9-4 win in the second game.
State closes the fall slate next Sunday, hosting West Alabama at 1 p.m. and Shelton State Community College in a 3 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1
Ali Bainbridge went 3-for-4, including a two-run home run in the eighth inning, as the Bulldogs scored three runs in the final frame for a 4-3 win.
The Dawgs took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning as Bainbridge singled home Briana Bell.
Wallace State answered with a run in the seventh to force the extra frame, and took a 3-1 advantage with a two-run eighth.
The Bulldogs kept fighting against the 2010 NJCAA national runner-up, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth to clinch the win.
With freshman Jessica Offutt at second base via the international tiebreaker rule, Bainbridge tied the game with a towering two-run blast over the wall in center field. Brittany Bell and Jessica Cooley followed with back-to-back singles, and Bell crossed home plate with the winning run on Courtney Nesbit's ground ball that was mishandled by the Lady Lion third baseman.
Junior Misty Flesher tossed the final five innings to earn the win. The Lone Grove, Okla., native allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out two while giving up five hits. Sophomore Kylie Vry drew the start and hurled three scoreless innings, surrendering three hits in the contest.
Laurin Watts was saddled with the loss for Wallace State after giving up two earned runs (four total) on six hits in 3.1 innings of relief work.
Game 2
Mississippi State scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-4 victory in Sunday's nightcap.
Junior Ka'ili Smith paced the Bulldogs with three hits and an RBI, and freshman Rachael Zdeb contributed a pair of RBIs as the Dawgs followed-up a 10-hit opening game with 11 hits in game two.
MSU jumped out to an early lead with a two-run first inning. Freshman Heidi Shape put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with an RBI single that scored Briana Bell. After taking third on a Bainbridge sacrifice, Shape gave State a 2-0 advantage as she came home on a Smith ground-out to second base.
Cooley extended the lead to 3-0 in the second as she connected on her second home run of the fall, a one-out, solo shot to left center.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Lacy Driggers put the Lady Lions up 4-3 with a third-inning grand slam off State starter Lindsey Dunlap, who struck out six over three innings.
Sophomore Stephanie Becker and freshman Shana Sherrod shut down WSCC the rest of the way, surrendering just three hits over the final four innings.
Becker hurled three innings of one-hit softball to earn the win. Sherrod scattered two hits and struck out a pair in her lone inning of work.
MSU scored four runs of its own in the fourth to take the lead for good. Freshman Samantha Lenahan tied the game with an RBI single, and an error on the play allowed Cooley, who walked earlier in the inning, to score the go-ahead run.
Chelsea Raines extended the lead to 6-4 with an RBI single, and she scored on a Briana Bell triple to the center-field wall to cap the inning.
The Dawgs added the game's final two runs in the sixth inning on a Zdeb single that scored Offutt and Briana Bell.
Heather Parker gave up seven runs (six earned) over four innings in the losing effort for Wallace State.
State closes the fall slate next Sunday, hosting West Alabama at 1 p.m. and Shelton State Community College in a 3 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1
Ali Bainbridge went 3-for-4, including a two-run home run in the eighth inning, as the Bulldogs scored three runs in the final frame for a 4-3 win.
The Dawgs took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning as Bainbridge singled home Briana Bell.
Wallace State answered with a run in the seventh to force the extra frame, and took a 3-1 advantage with a two-run eighth.
The Bulldogs kept fighting against the 2010 NJCAA national runner-up, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth to clinch the win.
With freshman Jessica Offutt at second base via the international tiebreaker rule, Bainbridge tied the game with a towering two-run blast over the wall in center field. Brittany Bell and Jessica Cooley followed with back-to-back singles, and Bell crossed home plate with the winning run on Courtney Nesbit's ground ball that was mishandled by the Lady Lion third baseman.
Junior Misty Flesher tossed the final five innings to earn the win. The Lone Grove, Okla., native allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out two while giving up five hits. Sophomore Kylie Vry drew the start and hurled three scoreless innings, surrendering three hits in the contest.
Laurin Watts was saddled with the loss for Wallace State after giving up two earned runs (four total) on six hits in 3.1 innings of relief work.
Game 2
Mississippi State scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-4 victory in Sunday's nightcap.
Junior Ka'ili Smith paced the Bulldogs with three hits and an RBI, and freshman Rachael Zdeb contributed a pair of RBIs as the Dawgs followed-up a 10-hit opening game with 11 hits in game two.
MSU jumped out to an early lead with a two-run first inning. Freshman Heidi Shape put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with an RBI single that scored Briana Bell. After taking third on a Bainbridge sacrifice, Shape gave State a 2-0 advantage as she came home on a Smith ground-out to second base.
Cooley extended the lead to 3-0 in the second as she connected on her second home run of the fall, a one-out, solo shot to left center.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Lacy Driggers put the Lady Lions up 4-3 with a third-inning grand slam off State starter Lindsey Dunlap, who struck out six over three innings.
Sophomore Stephanie Becker and freshman Shana Sherrod shut down WSCC the rest of the way, surrendering just three hits over the final four innings.
Becker hurled three innings of one-hit softball to earn the win. Sherrod scattered two hits and struck out a pair in her lone inning of work.
MSU scored four runs of its own in the fourth to take the lead for good. Freshman Samantha Lenahan tied the game with an RBI single, and an error on the play allowed Cooley, who walked earlier in the inning, to score the go-ahead run.
Chelsea Raines extended the lead to 6-4 with an RBI single, and she scored on a Briana Bell triple to the center-field wall to cap the inning.
The Dawgs added the game's final two runs in the sixth inning on a Zdeb single that scored Offutt and Briana Bell.
Heather Parker gave up seven runs (six earned) over four innings in the losing effort for Wallace State.
Players Mentioned
2B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
1B/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF/C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF/C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF/INF
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