Bulldogs Fall In 2012 Home Opener, 5-4

Friday, February 17

Starkville

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

5-1

SIU-Edwardsville

3-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
SIU-Edwardsville	1	1	2	0	0	0	1	5	6	1
Mississippi State	0	2	0	1	0	0	1	4	8	1

Bulldogs Fall In 2012 Home Opener, 5-4

February 18, 2012 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Down to their last out, the Bulldogs finally ran out of late-inning magic, falling 5-4 to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Friday night at the MSU Softball Stadium. The Bulldogs fell to 5-1 on the year, while the Cougars improved to 3-2.

"We would have liked to come out on top, but we just have to keep grinding and keep fighting to the next game," head coach Vann Stuedeman said following the 2012 home opener. "One thing that is great about softball is that you don't have to wait a whole week like football - we can get back out there tomorrow and that's exactly what you want to do after a disappointing game."

Senior first baseman Ka'ili Smith tallied a game-high two RBIs, going 2-for-4. Junior shortstop Erin Nesbit finished with a walk and her first home run of the season, a fourth-inning shot that snuck over the fence in right. In the circle, redshirt Senior Misty Flesher (0-1) picked up the loss for the Maroon and White after giving up two earned runs on three hits in her one full frame.

"It was awesome to hit a home run, but tonight we just didn't get it done as a team," Nesbit said. "We have to come out tomorrow and keep grinding."

The Cougars were the first team to cross the plate when shortstop Chelsea Yankolovich worked her way around the bases in the first after reaching on a walk. SIU-E struck again the following inning, as Rebecca Gray drove in Samantha Stanicek on a two-out single which gave SIUE a 2-0 lead.

State finally answered in the bottom of the second when Smith doubled to left scoring freshman third baseman Swayze Hollenhead and senior right fielder Brittany Gates.

The top of the third would be the most successful inning for the Cougars as they took a lead they took the lead for good after an Alex McDavid triple scored Lindsey Barron from first. Second basemen Taylor Tooley singled to bring McDavid to the dish.

Nesbit brought the MSU dugout to life with her solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, but both teams were held scoreless over the fifth and sixth frames. The Cougars extended their lead to 5-3 in the top of the seventh on a bases loaded walk.

The Maroon and White attempted another come-from-behind victory in the bottom of the seventh, when sophomore catcher Sam Lenahan cranked a two-out double off the wall in center to cut the deficit to one. The rally was cut short after SIU-E forced sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape to pop out for the third and final out of the game.

Starkville's team will try to return to the win column Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against in-state foe Mississippi Valley State. Following the 3 p.m. contest, MSU will square off against SIU-E in a rematch from Friday. For more information on MSU Softball, follow us on Twitter at @MStateSB and like us on Facebook.com/MStateSB.