Mississippi State
22-19
Jackson State
24-19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Mississippi State | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | X | 12 | 12 | 1 |
Cooley And Smith Dominate Jackson State in Run-Rule Victory
April 11, 2012 | Softball
Starkville, Miss - Junior left
fielder Jessica Cooley and senior catcher Ka'ili Smith combined to go a perfect
6-for-6 with eight RBIs Tuesday in five innings as the Mississippi State
softball team (22-19) defeated in-state foe Jackson State (24-19), 12-3, at the
MSU Softball Stadium. The ninth-straight win over a non-conference squad marks
the longest such streak since 2008 (12), while the seventh run-rule victory of
2012 is MSU's most since the 2008 squad registered 13 game-shortened triumphs.
"Cooley and Smith were awesome today," Head Coach Vann Stuedeman said. "We had a shaky start, but the offense responded immediately. That was a huge jolt that let the opponent know we were going to bounce back."
Cooley became the first player in school history to go yard twice in back-to-back games, finishing 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, two runs and her second double in as many games. With 13 round-trippers this season, the Birmingham, Ala., native ranks second in the SEC in long shots and is tied with former All-American Kellie Wilkerson for fourth-most home runs in a single season by a Bulldog. All three former MSU players above her on that list went on to earn All-America honors.
Smith also dominated at the dish, matching Cooley with an identical 3-for-3 performance with four RBIs and two runs. The catcher also cranked out a double, as well as her first three-bagger since March 29, 2011 vs. Alcorn State.
In the circle, junior left-hander Kylie Vry got back on the winning track, throwing her seventh complete game of 2012 to improve to 7-6 on the season. The southpaw gave up three runs (one earned) in the first inning, but went on to hurl four scoreless stanzas to finish the game, striking out six while allowing four hits and three walks.
The visiting Lady Tigers broke the ice with three runs in the top half of the first, but the home team responded with its third eight-run inning of the year. The bottom of the first started when redshirt senior designated player Brittany Bell hit a worm burner down the left-field line for a single. Sophomore center fielder Jessica Offutt moved Bell to second on a sacrifice bunt, as Bell scored in the next at-bat when Smith roped a single to center field. The Flyin' Hawaiian advanced to third on the single when JSU's center fielder could not keep the ball in front of her. State's catcher stayed there when sophomore third baseman Sam Lenahan reached first on a walk. Smith scored and Lenahan trotted to second on a passed ball, with Lenahan eventually coming full circle after Cooley unleashed her first homer of the evening.
With the bases cleared and one down, sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape took second after JSU's shortstop dropped a routine flyball in shallow left field. Following the second out of the frame, redshirt sophomore shortstop Erin Nesbit rifled a single through the left side of the infield, but sprinted to second on the throw home to keep Shape at the hot corner. Senior right fielder Brittany Gates had two in scoring position when she knocked in Shape on an infield single using her speed. Gates then stole her eighth base of the year to put two back in scoring position, before the bases became loaded when Bell was hit with her school-record 44th-career pitch. Junior Chrissie Rovtar pinch-hit for Offutt in the two spot and knocked in another run on a 3-1 walk.
The bases stayed juiced for Smith's second at-bat of the inning, as the senior slugger poked a single into right that scored both Bell and Gates. Smith's second and third runs driven in gave MSU an early yet commanding 8-3 lead after one.
After a scoreless second for both teams, the Bulldogs put the game out of reach for good in the third with a four-run inning. Gates began the inning by delivering a single up the middle on a 1-2 offering. The lightning-quick outfielder then stole second again, before advancing to third on a passed ball one pitch later. The Lady Tigers' catcher tried to throw Gates out at third, but sailed the throw, allowing Gates to score the ninth run of the game for the Maroon and White. Offutt came up with one out and copied Gates, connecting on a single to right-center and a steal of second on her own. Smith then stepped into the box and stroked a hard-hit triple to the wall in left, allowing Offutt to wheel her way around the bases and tap the dish. That gave Cooley another chance at a no-doubter, as the left fielder dented a car behind the left-field wall with her second dinger of the day, giving the game its final score of 12-3.
Starkville's team takes to the road again for the second-consecutive weekend as Stuedeman's squad faces SEC West rival Ole Miss at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, with Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m. being broadcast live on FOX Sports South. Free audio of the three-game tilt game will be available online to HailStateTV subscribers (www.HailState.com/hstvlive). For more information regarding MSU softball, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vry, Kylie (7-6)
L: GUILLORY,LeEthel (6-8)
Batting:
HR: REED,Wendi 1
RBI: REED,Wendi 1 ; AIKENS,Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: REED,Wendi 1 ; SIEGEL,Arial 1 ; VASQUEZ,Amanda 1
SB: NAVE,Tayler 1
Batting:
2B: Cooley, Jessica 1
3B: Smith, Ka'ili 1
HR: Cooley, Jessica 2
RBI: Rovtar, Chrissie 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 4 ; Cooley, Jessica 4 ; Gates, Brittany 1
SH: Offutt, Jessica 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bell, Brittany 2 ; Offutt, Jessica 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 2 ; Lenahan, Sam 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 2 ; Shape, Heidi 1 ; Nesbit, Erin 1 ; Gates, Brittany 2
SB: Offutt, Jessica 1 ; Gates, Brittany 2
HBP: Bell, Brittany 1
