Mississippi State
28-19, 0
Kentucky
23-26, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Softball Clinches SEC Tournament Berth With Another Walk-Off Win
April 23, 2012 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - One hundred and eighty feet were erased in mere seconds as Mississippi State's Jessica Cooley raced around from first on a Ka'ili Smith double Sunday afternoon to give MSU a 3-2 walk-off win against Kentucky. With the series-sweeping triumph at the MSU Softball Stadium, the Bulldogs clinched a berth in the 2012 SEC Tournament from May 10-12 at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"I am real proud of our players and our fans." Head Coach Vann Stuedeman said. "For the third day in a row, they pulled us through. Congratulations to all the Bulldog fans and thank you on behalf of our program."
Smith led the Bulldogs to their first sweep vs. Kentucky since 2008, reaching base all four times via the game-winning double, a hit by pitch and two Wildcat errors. Cooley scored her run in walk-off fashion for the second-straight day, while redshirt senior Brittany Bell crossed the plate once in the leadoff spot. Senior right fielder Brittany Gates had a team-best two hits along with a run scored.
"The mindset is to bring it every inning," Smith explained. "We break it down into innings, outs and pitches."
Junior left-handed pitcher Stephanie Becker was the victor in the circle, making her the winning pitcher in all three games of the sweep. The Chicago native struck out five Wildcats in 4.0 innings of work, giving up one run on three hits and a walk. Senior Lindsey Dunlap had another strong outing in the series, striking out four in 3.0 frames.
Frozen in a scoreless pitchers' duel through three innings, Kentucky jumped on the scoreboard first again with an RBI single by nine-hole hitter Alice O'Brien in the top of the fourth.
State took the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks in part to two Big Blue miscues. Gates jumpstarted the offense with a one-out infield single, and stole second following the next out. With the tying run in scoring position, Bell sliced a grounder to the UK first baseman. The Wildcat backhanded the ball, but it bounced off her glove away from her, causing Gates to score from second. Bell jogged to the next bag when Cooley was hit by a pitch, bringing up Smith at the dish.
On a 1-0 count, the Hawaiian Hammer sent a rocket on the ground to the UK shortstop, who booted the ball. The yellow, round object drifted into center field, as Bell came full circle with the go-ahead run for the 2-1 Bulldog advantage.
The Wildcats clawed their way back into the game in the top of the sixth, when left fielder Ginny Carroll connected on a solo home run to center field.
State's chances of a second-consecutive walk-off win looked slim when UK pitcher Chanda Bell started off the seventh stanza with two outs. One out away from another extra-inning game between to the two teams, Cooley drew a walk on four pitches. Smith, the reigning SEC Player of the Week stepped up to the plate and hammered it to the wall in deep left-center field. Kentucky connected on the relay perfectly, but it was not in time as Cooley tapped the dish to end the game for the second-straight day.
"This win was huge for our team," Cooley said. "This weekend was by far the best crowd we have had. They were so involved and gave us so much confidence."
Riding its longest winning streak since 2009, Starkville's Team welcomes another breed of cat to town Tuesday for a Feb. 12 rematch against the Memphis Tigers. State will try to extend its nine-game winning streak against non-conference foes starting at 6 p.m. For more information regarding MSU softball, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
Postgame Notes
- The Bulldogs earned their 12th SEC Tournament berth in school history and have now earned berths in back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 2007-08.
- Not only did MSU clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament, but the win Sunday guaranteed Stuedeman's squad a winning record in the regular season, qualifying them for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. With a RPI of 31, the Bulldogs are projected to make the Big Dance.
- Mississippi State has now won 11 SEC games this year, its most since winning 13 in 2008. That year, MSU finished 41-22 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tempe Regional.
- The Bulldogs currently own the longest overall winning streak in the SEC West (second-longest in the SEC). The seven-game winning streak is MSU's longest since winning eight in a row from Feb. 13-25, 2009.
- MSU swept back-to-back series for the first time since sweeping Ole Miss and Tennessee on the road in March 2001. That month was also the last time State won six-consecutive conference games (9 in a row total from March 23-April 1).
- State swept a series against Kentucky for the first time since 2008. The Maroon and White have won 14 of the last 16 games against the Wildcats in Starkville.
- The Maroon and White have won three-consecutive games by one run for the first time since a 2007 series sweep of South Carolina (2-1, 4-3, 8-7).
- Of MSU's 28 victories this season, 16 have been come-from-behind wins.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Becker, Stephanie (16-10)
L: Chanda Bell (12-10)
Batting:
HR: Ginny Carroll 1
RBI: Ginny Carroll 1 ; Alice O'Brien 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ginny Carroll 2
SB: Ginny Carroll 1 ; Emily Jolly 1
HBP: Griffin Joiner 1 ; Kara Howard 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Ka'ili 1 ; Shape, Heidi 1
RBI: Smith, Ka'ili 1
SH: Lenahan, Sam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bell, Brittany 1 ; Cooley, Jessica 1 ; Gates, Brittany 1
SB: Gates, Brittany 1
HBP: Cooley, Jessica 1 ; Smith, Ka'ili 1
