Mississippi State
15-16, 5-4
#24 Kentucky
21-7, 7-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 8 | 7 | 1 |
MSU Softball Falls 8-0 To No. 23 Kentucky
March 26, 2011 | Softball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Mississippi State was unable to figure out Kentucky starter Chanda Bell Saturday afternoon as the 23rd-ranked Wildcats defeated the Bulldog softball team 8-0 in five innings at the UK Softball Complex in Lexington, Ky.
The Bulldogs fell to 15-16 overall and 5-4 in SEC play with the loss. Kentucky improved 21-7 and 7-3 in league play in the series-clinching win.
Bell, who struck out 11 and held MSU hitless to improve to 8-4, faced one batter over the minimum as senior Courtney Nesbit reached on an error in the top of the fifth.
Sophomore Stephanie Becker faced one batter in the game, and she fell to 3-3 on the season as she allowed a walk and a run. Fellow sophomore Kylie Vry tossed one inning, giving up five runs and five hits before giving way to junior Lindsey Dunlap.
Dunlap hurled three innings, surrendering two unearned runs and two hits while striking out four.
"I thought Bell looked really good for them today. We didn't manage our at-bats well, and our pitchers didn't have a very good day," Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller said. "We have to figure out who can start and get us through that first inning. Our team has to dig deep, see what we're made of and try to bounce back tomorrow."
The Dawgs were never able to recover after Kentucky struck for six runs in the first inning. After Megan Yocke walked off Becker to open the game, she came around to score on a Vry wild pitch before Meagan Aull delivered an RBI single to put the Wildcats in front 2-0. UK added RBI doubles from Lauren Cumbess and Emily Jolly to cap the six-run frame.
Dunlap held the Wildcats off the scoreboard until the fourth, when Kentucky scratched across the final two runs of the contest.
Macy Allen opened the inning with a single, and after she stole second, Yocke drew a walk. Kara Dill followed with a base hit, and a throwing error by MSU senior Chelsea Raines allowed both runners to score.
Dill advanced to third, but Dunlap escaped any further damage as she got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
Dill and Allen led UK with two hits each.
The two teams conclude the series Sunday afternoon in a game set for a 12 p.m. CT first pitch. A free audio stream of the game will be available at www.mstateathletics.com/m2mlive.
Kentucky 8, Mississippi
State 0 (Mar 26, 2011 at Lexington, Ky.)
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Mississippi State... 000 00 - 0 0 1 (15-16, 5-4 SEC)
Kentucky............ 600 2X - 8 7 1 (21-7, 7-3 SEC)
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Pitchers: Mississippi State - Stephanie Becker; Kylie Vry(1); Lindsey Dunlap(2) and Sam Lenahan
. Kentucky - Chanda Bell and Megan Yocke.
Win-Chanda Bell(8-4) Loss-Stephanie Becker(3-3) T-1:19 A-0
Weather: upper 30s and mostly cloudy
S. Becker faced 1 batter in the 1st.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Chanda Bell (8-4)
L: Becker, Stephanie (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Lauren Cumbess 1 ; Emily Jolly 1
RBI: Meagan Aull 1 ; Lauren Cumbess 2 ; Emily Jolly 1 ; Macy Allen 1
SH: Samantha DeMartine 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Megan Yocke 2 ; Kara Dill 1 ; Meagan Aull 1 ; Brittany Cervantes 1 ; Lauren Cumbess 1 ; Emily Jolly 1 ; Macy Allen 1
SB: Meagan Aull 2 ; Brittany Cervantes 2 ; Macy Allen 1
CS: Brittany Cervantes 1
