Black Wins Game 3, Mississippi State Softball World Series
October 16, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After having dropped Game 1 of the Mississippi State Softball World Series Tuesday, Black rallied to win the next two games against Maroon and win the Series.
A trio of low-scoring games throughout the week showcased the pitching depth and defensive prowess that MSU possesses heading into the 2016 spring season.
Clutch hitting and capitalizing on opportunities was also a theme throughout the best-of-three Series between the Maroon and Black teams.
Game 1 (Oct. 13) – Maroon 5, Black 3:
In the second inning, Maroon went up 1-0 when freshman Sarai Niu scored to put her side up. Maroon continued to grow their lead with base hits, walks and errors by Black. From the third through the fifth innings, Maroon plated four more runs to jump out to a 5-0 advantage.
Black would answer in the seventh with three runs on three hits, including home runs from sophomore Morgan Bell and junior transfer Reggie Harrison. Maroon's pitching and defense settled down to get two ground outs to end the game and jump out to a 1-0 series lead.
Sophomore Cassady Knudsen recorded the win for Maroon as she struck out four in 6 1/3 innings with freshman Cori Cooper having recorded the final two outs of the game to secure the win.
In the circle for Black, sophomore Holly Ward got the start and went four innings and freshman Regan Green closed out the game's final three innings.
Game 2 (Oct. 14) – Black 2, Maroon 0:
Two runs on two hits with help from an error put Black up 2-0 in the top of the first as Harrison and freshman Kat Moore came around to score.
Defense and pitching would rule the remainder of the contest, as only one baserunner would reach third base over the next six and one-half innings.
Maroon put two runners on with one out in the seventh, but the Black defense clamped down to secure the win and force a series-deciding Game 3.
Junior Alexis Silkwood went the distance for Black as she struck out five in seven shutout innings in the victory. Silkwood did not allow any walks and kept all Maroon base runners from advancing past second.
Cooper returned from Game 1 to make the start as she lasted six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) against 28 batters. Knudsen retired the side in order with one strikeout in the seventh for Maroon.
Game 3 (Oct. 15) – Black 3, Maroon 1:
After having gone three innings in Game 1, Green received the start in the circle for Black and excelled with four strikeouts through two innings.
In the home half of the second, redshirt sophomore Olivia Golden homered to right center to put Black ahead 1-0.
With runners on in the fourth inning, freshman Sabrina Turner came up clutch for Black with a single to right that scored two and put her side up 3-0 against Maroon.
With Green still succeeding in the circle, Maroon did not record a hit until the fifth. Down to its final two outs in the seventh, Maroon broke the shutout as a single from senior Kayla Winkfield brought across junior Amanda Ivy. With two outs and runners on first and second for Maroon, Green recorded her eighth and final strikeout of the game to clinch the win and the series for Black.
In her complete-game victory, the two-time Gatorade Delaware Softball Player of the Year Green allowed just three hits and one run. For Maroon, Knudsen went four innings as the starter, while Cooper tossed two innings in relief.
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