Mississippi State
14-5
Samford
4-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Mississippi State | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | X | 11 | 16 | 0 |
Softball Beats Samford 11-5 For Sixth-Straight Victory
March 05, 2012 | Softball
Starkville, Miss. - Sunday was no day of rest for the Mississippi State softball team's offense, as the Maroon and White cranked out a season-high 16 hits for the second-consecutive day en route to an 11-5 victory against Samford at the MSU Softball Stadium. State (14-5) wrapped up the Bulldog Classic with a perfect 5-0 record on the weekend and is riding its longest winning streak since the 2009 squad won eight in a row over three years ago.
"We're extremely pleased with this weekend and excited about starting the second season," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Ultimately, the game has no memory, so it doesn't matter what has happened behind us. We'll move forward one moment at a time and one pitch at a time."
Junior left fielder Jessica Cooley wrapped up the best week of her career with another stellar day at the dish, finishing 2-for-3 with a career-high tying five RBIs and her first career grand slam. In six games this week, the Birmingham, Ala., native drove in 17 teammates in 19 at-bats, tallied 10 hits, scored eight times and belted five tape-measure shots over the fence.
Fellow junior Stephanie Becker picked up her seventh win inside the circle, striking out six Samford batters in 4.0 innings of work. Senior left-handed pitcher Lindsey Dunlap relieved her southpaw teammate and notched her first save since 2010, tossing 3.0 innings of hitless ball thanks in part to a season-high seven strikeouts.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first, the host Bulldogs stormed back with a season-high six first-inning runs. Leadoff hitter Ka'ili Smith started the Bully barrage by depositing a 3-2 offering down the line in left. The flying Hawaiian scored after junior first baseman Shelby Fisher reached on a throwing error by the shortstop. Senior designated player Brittany Bell advanced Fisher to second when she extended her school record of career hit by pitches to 38. Sophomore third baseman Sam Lenahan was able to jump on first when her grounder to third forced Fisher out at third. With Lenahan and Bell aboard, sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape loaded the bases with an infield single to the Samford shortstop.
That set the stage for Cooley, whose bat exploded through the zone on a 2-2 pitch for her first career grand salami. Now leading 5-3, freshman right fielder Ashley Phillips stepped into the box and singled to right on another 2-2 count. Showing her wheels, the native Mississippian stole her sixth base of the season, putting her in scoring position for center fielder Jessica Offutt. The sophomore ensured MSU would bat around in the first when she doubled to the gap in left, driving in Phillips for a commanding 6-3 lead.
Following a double and a run scored by Fisher in the second to increase Samford's deficit to four runs, the visitors barked back with two runs in the top of the fourth. Just like the second frame, Fisher led off the fourth by reaching base. The Arizona native sprinted to second after Bell lined out to shortstop and attempted to double-up Fisher at first, but instead sailed it into the tarp in foul territory. With Fisher on second and MSU leading by a score of 7-5, Lenahan drove her in with a hard and low single to left.
The Maroon and White plated its final three runs in the fifth inning, which started with singles by Offutt, Smith and Fisher. With the bases juiced, Bell roped her first pitch to right for an RBI single. Offutt scored and Smith was thrown out at home on the play. Lenahan then reached on a fielder's choice when Fisher was thrown out at third on the force for the second time in the game. Bell and Lenahan took to their next base on a passed ball. The two crossed home thanks to RBI singles by Shape and Cooley, respectively.
With the first part of the season over with, Starkville's team will host No. 3/3 Florida for a doubleheader Wednesday at the Dawg Diamond in both school's Southeastern Conference opener. For more information regarding the showdown, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Becker, Stephanie (7-1)
L: Robyn Harmon (2-5)
S: Dunlap, Lindsey (1)
Batting:
HR: Abby Adams 1
RBI: Alex Adams 2 ; Abby Adams 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kayla Shaffer 1 ; Robyn Harmon 1 ; Shelby Scott 1 ; Arica Dykes 1 ; Abby Adams 1
HBP: Kayla Shaffer 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Ka'ili 1 ; Fisher, Shelby 1 ; Offutt, Jessica 1
3B: Offutt, Jessica 1
HR: Cooley, Jessica 1
RBI: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Lenahan, Sam 1 ; Shape, Heidi 2 ; Cooley, Jessica 5 ; Offutt, Jessica 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Ka'ili 1 ; Fisher, Shelby 2 ; Bell, Brittany 2 ; Lenahan, Sam 2 ; Shape, Heidi 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 1 ; Phillips, Ashley 1 ; Offutt, Jessica 1
SB: Shape, Heidi 1 ; Phillips, Ashley 1
HBP: Bell, Brittany 1
