MSU Softball Heads To MVSU For Tuesday Tilt
April 11, 2011 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State returns to the road Tuesday as it heads down Highway 82 for a Tuesday non-conference softball game against Mississippi Valley State. First pitch from Itta Bena, Miss., is set for 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs head into the midweek tilt 20-21 overall following a home series setback to No. 22 Auburn during Mississippi State's Super Bulldog Weekend presented by Regions.
State gave head coach Jay Miller his 1,000th-career victory on Friday before dropping the last two games by three runs combined.
Tuesday's game will be State's second of three meetings this season against the Delta Devilettes. Mississippi State won an 8-0 decision on March 6 to win the Bulldog Classic championship. The two teams square-off again in Starkville April 19 at 5 p.m.
Ali Bainbridge continues to lead Mississippi State's offense with a .382 average. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native tallied her 100th-career RBI in Saturday's setback to Auburn. She has collected 14 RBI this season to go along with a team-high 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 39 runs scored.
Junior Ka'ili Smith enters the week hitting .333 at the plate, while senior Courtney Nesbit improved her batting average to .320 with two hits and a pair of RBI on Sunday. Nesbit, an Acworth, Ga., native, tops the Dawgs with eight home runs and 37 RBI.
Mississippi State junior Misty Flesher hurled four scoreless innings to notch the win in the inaugural meeting with MVSU. The Lone Grove, Okla., native has compiled six victories this season and struck out 56 over 73.2 innings.
Sophomores Kylie Vry and Stephanie Becker have both been solid in the circle for the Dawgs. Vry leads the Dawgs with eight wins, 81 strikeouts and a 3.85 ERA. Becker has notched five victories and a 4.63 ERA while striking out 57 through 59 innings.
State holds an 18-1 all-time record against Mississippi Valley State. The March 6 win was the Bulldogs' 10th-straight in the series.
The Devilettes sit at 17-18 on the year thanks to the solid hitting of Angela Robertson and the pitching of Kim Spivey.
Robertson has batted at a .375 clip. She leads the team with nine doubles while tying Rashundra Brass for the home run lead with five. Her 23 RBI are one back of the top mark held by Brass.
Spivey suffered the loss for MVSU in the earlier meeting, but she has rebounded to run her record to 11-10 this season. She owns a 3.34 ERA and has struck out 102 in 123.2 innings.
