Cooley, Becker Lead Bulldogs To 5-1 Win Against MVSU

Tuesday, April 12

Itta Bena, Miss.

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

21-21

Mississippi Valley State

19-19

Mississippi State

Miss. Valley State

Bulldogs Come Up Short In Tough 4-2 Setback To No. 21 LSU

Cooley, Becker Lead Bulldogs To 5-1 Win Against MVSU

April 12, 2011 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

ITTA BENA, Miss. - Senior Jessica Cooley tripled as part of a two-hit afternoon, and Stephanie Becker tossed 3.1 innings of perfect relief as Mississippi State defeated Mississippi Valley State 5-1 Tuesday afternoon in Itta Bena, Miss.

Cooley drove in the tying run in the top of the fourth before coming home with the winning run later that inning. She also singled in the top of the seventh as Mississippi State improved to 21-21 on the season.

Senior Courtney Nesbit and junior Ka'ili Smith also collected two hits apiece. Smith also added an RBI for the Dawgs.

Becker retired the final 10 MVSU batters to earn the win and run her record to 6-3. The Aurora, Ill., native relieved starter Misty Flesher, who was touched for a run and three hits through the opening 3.2 innings.

Mississippi State put at least one runner on base in each of the first three innings, but the Dawgs were unable to come through with the clutch hit. State stranded 11 runners in the contest.

"We left a lot of runners on base. We had a runner reach in every inning, and we have to do a better job of driving them in, especially on the road," MSU head coach Jay Miller said. "Thankfully we came back and put some runs up late, but we didn't do a good job adjusting at the plate.

"Stephanie came in and shut the door on them," Miller said. "Misty threw well, but she got tired and started to walk some batters. We decided to come in with Steph, and she did a nice job shutting them down."

Mississippi Valley State took a 1-0 lead off Flesher in the bottom of the third. Hanako Kilburn hit a one-out double, and pinch-runner Trenicea Cameron scored as the Bulldogs threw out Brianna Holmes trying to steal second.

MSU answered in the top of the fourth, though, as freshman Jessica Offutt singled and scored the tying run on Cooley's triple to right. Senor Ali Bainbridge drew the first of two walks and stole second before sophomore Shelby Fisher hit a soft liner to short that MVSU's Diana Parada dropped, allowing Cooley to score the lead run.

The Delta Devilettes drew three two-out walks off Flesher in the home half of the frame, but Becker got a Kilburn groundout to end the inning and preserve State's 2-1 lead.

With Becker blanking the MVSU bats, State extended the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth. Freshman Sam Lenahan ripped a one-out single through the left side, and she took third as MVSU first baseman Shana Ladner's throw to first on a Heidi Shape bunt sailed away.

Raines brought Lenahan home with a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Bulldogs opened the sixth with back-to-back walks by Cooley and Bainbridge, and the pair advanced on a Fisher sacrifice bunt. Cooley got caught in a rundown between third and home, but she managed to score on an errant throw to put MSU up 4-1.

Smith brought home State's final run with a single to right that scored Bainbridge.

Mississippi State stays on the road this weekend, traveling to Tuscaloosa for a three-game SEC series against No. 3/5 Alabama.

Mississippi State 5, Miss. Valley State 1 (Apr 12, 2011 at MVSU Softball Field)

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Mississippi State... 000 212 0 - 5 9 0 (21-21)

Miss. Valley State.. 001 000 0 - 1 3 4 (19-19)

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Pitchers: Mississippi State - Misty Flesher; Stephanie Becker(4) and Sam Lenahan.

Miss. Valley State - SPIVEY,Kimberly and BURR,Nicole.

Win-Stephanie Becker(6-3) Loss-SPIVEY,Kimberly(11-11) T-2:12 A-125

Weather: Sunny, 75 degrees w/ wind