Becker, Bell Lead Bulldogs To 3-2 Upset Of No. 4/6 Tennessee

Saturday, April 23

Knoxville, Tenn.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

23-26, 9-13

#6 Tennessee

41-7, 17-5

Mississippi State

Tennessee

Becker, Bell Lead Bulldogs To 3-2 Upset Of No. 4/6 Tennessee

April 23, 2011 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Briana Bell and Ka'ili Smith had run-scoring base hits in a three-run second inning, and sophomore Stephanie Becker held No. 4/6 Tennessee scoreless over the final five innings to lead the Mississippi State softball team to a 3-2 upset of the Lady Vols in the series finale Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.

Bell, who hit .500 in the three-game series, had the two-run double in the second before coming back with a single later in the game. Smith's RBI base hit in the decisive second capped a 2-for-4 afternoon for the Kapolei, Hawaii, native.

In the last eight games, Smith is hitting .375 with a double and four RBI.

Becker drew her third-straight start on the weekend and responded with a complete-game effort. The Aurora, Ill., native, who tossed 16.1 innings in the three games, scattered seven hits and allowed two runs over the first pair of innings.

The Bulldogs salvaged the final game of the series to improve to 23-26 overall and 9-13 in SEC play. The win snapped a 12-game UT win streak and dropped the Lady Vols to 41-7 and 17-5 in the conference.

"It was great to bounce back with the win today, especially after being held without a hit yesterday. It was big for our ballclub to come out and get some runs on the scoreboard, and Stephanie Becker put in another great performance on the mound," Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller said. "It was big for us to have Briana come through and drive in those first two runs. Ka'ili also did a great job hitting in that three-run inning. After being shutout twice, we needed to get on the board, and that was a big step for our ballclub. I wish we could have scored some more runs for Stephanie, but those three ended up being enough. At this point in the season, we'll take the win any way we can get it."

After failing to capitalize on Ali Bainbridge's 13^th double of the season in the opening inning, the Bulldogs put the decisive three runs across in the second to rally from a 1-0 deficit.

Heidi Shape started the inning by beating out a ground ball to shortstop. Shelby Fisher and Bainbridge drew a pair of walks to load the bases, and Bell put the Dawgs in front with a double to left-center field.

Bainbridge, who made a stellar slide to get into third on Bell's hit, gave MSU the 3-1 lead as she scored on Smith's two-out base hit through the left side.

Bainbridge also drew two walks in the game to bring her season total to a personal-best 37. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native, who stands four hits shy of 200 for her career, is now tied for sixth in single-season walks and seventh in career free passes with 69.

The three-run burst chased UT starter Ellen Renfroe. She allowed the three runs and four hits in two innings before giving way to her sister, Ivy, for the final five frames.

Tennessee cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the second when Kat Dotson hit a one-out single and came around to score on a Kelly Grieve sacrifice fly. The Bulldogs avoided any further trouble, however, as Sam Lenahan took the throw at home and tossed out Chavanne trying to take third.

The Bulldogs earned a pair of walks in the top of the fourth off Ivy Renfroe, but they were unable to scratch across any insurance runs as a strikeout ended the inning.

Becker and the MSU defense preserved the 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Tennessee got a single from Chavanne and a walk to Gibson. State issued an intentional pass to Spigner, but Becker got Melissa Davin to fly out to right field to leave the bases loaded.

State missed an opportunity of its own in the top of the seventh. With one out, Bainbridge reached on an error by UT shortstop Melissa Brown. Bell followed with her second hit of the game, and Smith loaded the bases with a ground ball that made its way through the left side of the infield.

A pair of strikeouts by Ivy Renfroe, however, left the bases full of Bulldogs.

Becker sealed the win with a solid seventh inning. She got Chavanne, who had been put out just once in the series, to fly out to right field to open the inning. Kelly Grieve also flew out to Bell in right, and after Gibson kept UT alive with a base hit, Becker fanned Shelby Burchell to notch the victory.

The Bulldogs wrap the 2011 home slate next weekend, taking on No. 23 LSU in a three-game SEC series at the MSU Softball Field. Friday's opener is set for 5 p.m., and the first 25 youth fans will be able to participate in the Friday Night Kid Fan Zone. They will receive an MSU softball t-shirt and pom-pom, and they will be allowed to help retrieve foul balls and lead fans in cheers.

Saturday's game, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, is being billed as "White Out the Tigers Day." The first 100 fans will receive a free white t-shirt, and the Fan of the Game will receive a free pizza from Old Venice.

Sunday's finale is slated for 1:30 p.m. and will be televised by SportSouth. Prior to the game, Mississippi State will recognize Bainbridge and fellow seniors Courtney Nesbit and Chelsea Raines.

Admission to all three games against the Tigers is free, and a free, live audio stream of each game will be available at www.mstateathletics.com/m2mlive.

Mississippi State 3, Tennessee 2 (Apr 23, 2011 at Knoxville, Tenn.)
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Mississippi State... 030 000 0 - 3 6 0 (23-26, 9-13 SEC)
Tennessee........... 110 000 0 - 2 7 1 (41-7, 17-5 SEC)
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Pitchers: Mississippi State - Stephanie Becker and Sam Lenahan. Tennessee - Ellen Renfroe;
Ivy Renfroe(3) and Ashley Andrews; Shelby Burchell.
Win-Stephanie Becker(7-7) Loss-Ellen Renfroe(22-3) T-2:14 A-1649