Softball Loses Series Finale At LSU

Sunday, March 18

Baton Rouge, La.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

17-12, 3-7

LSU

19-8, 4-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Mississippi State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2
LSU	0	1	0	2	0	1	X	4	3	2

Bulldogs Battle Lady Tigers For A Twitter Tuesday Tilt

Softball Loses Series Finale At LSU

March 18, 2012 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

Baton Rouge, La. - Both teams had three hits, six walks and a stolen base apiece, but it was LSU (19-8, 4-1 SEC) that produced runs in a 4-0 victory over Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park. The Bulldogs end their spring-break road trip with a 17-12 overall record, including a 3-7 mark inside the Southeastern Conference.

"When we get great hitting, great pitching and great defense all in the same game, everybody better watch out," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "We tried to do a few different things with the lineup today. We will keep mixing it up until we find the magic lineup."

The three hits by MSU came from redshirt senior Brittany Bell (1-for-3), junior left fielder Jessica Cooley (1-for-3) and redshirt sophomore Erin Nesbit (1-for-3). Bell's triple in the sixth to right field was the third three-bagger of the Floridian's career.

Junior left-handed pitcher Stephanie Becker (9-5) suffered the loss after giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks in 3.2 innings. The Chicago southpaw struck out three, while fellow junior lefty Kylie Vry replaced her with 2.1 hitless innings, giving up a run on two walks. Tigers' pitcher Rachele Fico (9-4) picked up the win in a complete-game three-hit shutout, striking out two and issuing six walks.

LSU plated its first run of the day in the bottom of the second. After Becker recorded two outs on seven pitches, Tigers' second baseman Rikki Alcaraz drew a walk on four pitches. Catcher Lauren Houston advanced her teammate to second on an infield single to shortstop. With a runner on first and second, third baseman Tammy Wray hit a comebacker to Becker. The sharp hit bounced off Becker's glove in the circle and rolled to first base. Becker sprinted to pick it up and when she did came into contact with Wray running to first, as the ball flew into the air and dribbled toward foul territory. The chaos on the first-base line allowed Alcaraz to score, giving the home team a slim 1-0 lead.

The Purple and Gold extended its lead to 3-0 with a two-run fourth inning. Designated player Ashleigh Kuhn led off the frame with a single to right field. Becker struck out Dylan Supak for the second time Sunday, but then issued a second walk to Alcaraz. Houston once again singled to shortstop, loading the bases for the Tigers. After a popout by Wray to Shape at second, nine-hole hitter Heidi Pizer drew a 3-1 walk to drive Kuhn in and double LSU's lead, 2-0. The final run of the inning came when Ashley Applegate hit a sharp grounder that Nesbit mishandled at short, resulting in an error and a run scored. Vry then replaced Becker, getting Blades to groundout to Lenahan at third for the final out of the fourth.

Manufacturing an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to top it off, LSU scored its final run of the game when Applegate drove in Alex Boulet on a groundout to Shape at second base.

Now that the seven-day, five-game road trip is over with, Starkville's team returns home to the MSU Softball Stadium for a Twitter Tuesday contest against non-conference foe UAB on March 20at 6:30 p.m. CT. Live audio and video streaming of the game will be available online to HailStateTV subscribers (www.HailState.com/hstvlive). For more information regarding MSU's game Tuesday, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.