No. 15/17 Georgia Sweeps MSU

Saturday, March 15

Athens, Ga.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

21-7, 1-4

#15 Georgia (DH-1)

24-2, 2-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Mississippi State	1	1	0	0	0	2	7	0
Georgia	2	0	2	1	6	11	10	1

March 15, 2014 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: hailstate.com

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia used timely hitting and solid pitching to sweep Mississippi State in a doubleheader Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium. UGA took the opener 11-2 in five innings and the nightcap 9-1 in five.

Mississippi State (21-8, 1-5 SEC) was led at the plate by senior Jessica Offutt, who went three-for-four with two walks and a run scored. Freshman Katie Anne Bailey chipped in with a run, hit and walk. Providing much of the offense for Georgia (25-2, 3-0 SEC) was Alex Hugo, who hit a grand slam in game one and a solo homer in the second. She finished the doubleheader with six runs batted in and four scored.

In game one, sophomore Jacey Punches got the start for MSU and tossed one-third of an inning. She surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk. Freshman Alexis Silkwood (5-2) took the loss, allowing eight runs on seven hits and three walks in three-and-two-thirds innings. She struck out three. Senior Shana Sherrod completed the pitching effort, yielding a run on one hit. Geri Ann Glasco (11-0) earned the win, scattering seven singles and giving up two runs, one earned. She walked three and fanned two.

Game two had senior Alison Owen (10-6) suffer the setback. She gave up nine runs on nine hits, struck out three and hit one in four innings. Chelsea Wilkinson (14-2) picked up the win, surrendering four hits and a run while fanning 12, walking one and hitting another.

During the opener, MSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Offutt and junior Julia Echols hit consecutive singles to start the game. A sacrifice bunt from freshman Caroline Seitz moved the pair up a base and senior Sam Lenahan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Senior Logan Foulks hit a sacrifice fly to center that plated Offutt for the one-run lead. A fielder's choice ended the threat.

Georgia answered in the bottom of the first and took a 2-1 lead. After a fly out opened the frame, Paige Wilson walked and Glasco singled to right. A double just inside the left-field line from Hugo plated Wilson and moved Glasco to third. Kaylee Puailoa was hit by the first pitch of her at-bat to load the bases with one out. Silkwood entered for Punches and got Maeve McGuire to hit into a fielder's choice that forced out Puailoa at second, but pinch runner Katie Sowers, who entered for Glasco, scored from third to put UGA ahead 2-1. A fly out to Echols in left closed the inning.

MSU immediately responded in the top of the second with a two-out rally to tie the game at 2-2. With one out, Bailey drew a walk and moved to second on a groundout. Offutt drew a walk to put runners on first and second with two down. Echols hit a ball off the end of her bat toward second baseman Hugo, who couldn't field it cleanly and it rolled toward the first-base line. Bailey came all the way around from second to score and even the contest. A groundout to third from Seitz ended the frame.

Mississippi State nearly took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, but sophomore Loryn Nichols was thrown out at the plate to end the frame. With two outs, freshman Mackenzie Toler singled up the middle and was replaced by pinch runner Nichols. Senior Heidi Shape singled through the left side to put runners on first and second with one out. Bailey bounced a single up the middle that shortstop Wilson stopped and threw to Hugo covering second, but Shape was already on the bag. Nichols continued on the path to home as Hugo dropped the toss, but Wilson picked up the rolling ball and threw to home, where catcher Katie Browne put on the tag to halt the threat.

After the defensive hold, Georgia took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third. Hugo led off with a single and Puailoa walked to put runners on first and second. McGuire hit into a fielder's choice as Puailoa was forced out at second. Puailoa's hard slide knocked sophomore shortstop Kayla Winkfield to the ground and allowed Hugo to score the go-ahead run on the play. After a strikeout, Bethany Beggs tripled to right center to drive in McGuire. A groundout closed the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Mississippi State put its first two runners on but could not dent the scoreboard. Winkfield and Offutt led off with consecutive singles and Echols dropped down a sacrifice bunt that moved Winkfield to third and Offutt to second. Glasco got out of trouble with consecutive strikeouts.

Georgia tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead 5-2. Swafford led off being hit by a pitch and, after a groundout, Glasco walked. Hugo struck out looking, but Puailoa bounced a single to center that drove in Anna Swafford. A pop out closed the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Georgia ended the game with six runs for the 11-2 final. Pinch hitter Malia Rivers led off with a single and pinch hitter Niaja Griffin followed with a double to left center. Pinch hitter Tina Iosefa sent a single through the right side that plated the pair for the five-run lead. A walk and fielder's choice without an out being recorded loaded the bases for Glasco. Sherrod entered for Silkwood and retired Glasco on a pop out. Hugo followed with a grand slam to right center that ended the game due to the eight-run rule.

In game two, Georgia kept the offense rolling with a leadoff home run from Swafford to open the bottom of the first and go ahead 1-0.

MSU threatened to even the score in the top of the second with a two-out rally, but a Wilkinson strikeout stranded a pair. With one out, Seitz singled to left. After a strikeout, Shape hit a ball toward Hugo at second that turned into an infield single. Seitz got caught between second and third and Hugo tried to throw to third, but the toss went wide and Seitz moved to third while Shape went to second. A whiff ended the threat.

Georgia capitalized in the bottom of the frame and went ahead 3-0 with an Iosefa two-run home run.

MSU cut into the deficit in the top of the third with a two-out solo home run from Echols that made it 3-1. The long ball was her third of the campaign and first since Feb. 13 at Florida Atlantic.

UGA added to its lead with five runs in the bottom of the third to take an 8-1 lead. Swafford was hit by a pitch and Wilson followed with a home run for a 5-1 advantage. Glasco and Hugo hit consecutive singles and Glasco was replaced by pinch runner Adele Harrison. After a strikeout and fly out, Browne delivered a double to left that plated Harrison and Hugo. Beggs followed with another double to left that drove in Browne for the seven-run cushion. A lineout to Winkfield at shortstop ended the inning.

Georgia ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff homer from Hugo.

Mississippi State returns to action Tuesday at Memphis with a 6 p.m. CT contest.

Post-Game Notes
- MSU pushed across two runs with two outs, increasing its season total to 56 two-out runs (44.4 percent of team total).

- In game one, MSU scored a run in the first inning for the first time since the March 2 contest versus Ohio.

- In the first contest, MSU put more than one runner on base in the first inning for the first time since having three aboard against Nicholls State on March 1.

- Mississippi State had five-straight batters single in the third and fourth innings. It is the longest string of consecutive hits for the Bulldogs this season.

- Freshman Katie Anne Bailey has scored four runs in the last four games.

- In game two, Bailey made her first career start at catcher. Bailey has started games at three positions this week – designated player, right field and catcher.

- Junior Julia Echols' home run in game two was her first run batted in since March 1 against Memphis.

- Senior Jessica Offutt went three-for-four in the doubleheader and is six-for-eight in the last four contests.

- Sophomore Kayla Winkfield recorded her 11th hit in game one. The total is one more than she had in all of 2013.

- Senior Shanna Sherrod made her first Southeastern Conference appearance since April 1, 2012, against Alabama.