Mississippi State
31-16, 0
#12 Tennessee
35-11, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 15 | 0 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
Gentle Goes Yard Twice, Bulldogs Drop Series Finale
April 19, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – An early offensive flurry from No. 12 Tennessee was enough to secure the win on Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.
Mississippi State battled but could not overcome the early deficit, falling 16-8 in the series finale of the Super Bulldog Weekend series. The two sides combined for nine home runs on the day.
With the win, 12th-ranked Tennessee improved to 35-11 on the season and 11-7 in Southeastern Conference play, while State dropped to 31-16 and 9-12 in league play.
Senior Katie Gentle led the way for the Bulldogs on Senior Day as she went 2-for-2 on the day with two home runs and six RBIs.
In the top half of the first, the Lady Vols used a trio of hits to jump out front 4-0 on a grand slam. Another home run, this time a solo shot in the second, followed by a bases-clearing triple pushed the score to 8-0 in favor of the visitors.
Sophomore Katie Anne Bailey opened the MSU scoring in the second as she blasted a solo shot to right center, bringing the score to 8-1. A sacrifice fly from Gentle cut the score to 8-2 after she plated another Bulldog runner.
UT added to its lead in the third as three more runs made it 11-2. Sophomore Caroline Seitz drove her team-best 12th home run with nobody on in the third, bringing the score to 11-3.
Adding to her day, Gentle belted a grand slam in the third, cutting the lead to 11-7, on her second-career homer.
A two-run home run and a double down the line in left added to the UT lead, making it 14-7 in the fourth. The Lady Vols plated another run in the fifth to make it 15-7.
Gentle returned to the plate with two outs in the fifth and ripped a pitch over the wall in left center for a solo shot and her second home run of the day. Her homer made it a 15-8 game and kept MSU from being run-ruled.
The ninth homer of the game came from the Lady Vols in the sixth as the solo shot pushed their lead back to eight, 16-8. Unable to plate another in the home half of the frame, State fell 16-8 in six innings.
Having entered in relief, Erin Gabriel (13-5) recorded the win for UT as she went 3.0 innings and allowed just one run on one hit. Sophomore Alexis Silkwood (22-12) got the start for MSU and lasted one inning as she allowed six runs on five hits in the loss.
State will close out its 2015 home season against the Memphis Tigers on Wednesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. CT. It will also serve as the final game at the MSU Softball Field as construction for the Bulldogs' new facility will begin on Monday, April 27 on the same land that the current facility stands.
For more information on the MSU softball program, follow “HailStateSB” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find all-access coverage of the Bulldogs on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Erin Gabriel (13-5)
L: Silkwood, Alexis (22-12)
Batting:
2B: Meghan Gregg 1 ; Rainey Gaffin 1
3B: Scarlet McSwain 1
HR: Meghan Gregg 1 ; Megan Geer 2 ; Cheyanne Tarango 1 ; Lexi Overstreet 1
RBI: Meghan Gregg 2 ; Tory Lewis 1 ; Scarlet McSwain 3 ; Megan Geer 5 ; Cheyanne Tarango 2 ; Lexi Overstreet 2 ; Rainey Gaffin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Meghan Gregg 2 ; Tory Lewis 2 ; Shaliyah Geathers 1 ; Gretchen Aucoin 1 ; Scarlet McSwain 1 ; Megan Geer 3 ; Cheyanne Tarango 1 ; Taylor Koenig 1 ; Lexi Overstreet 3 ; Rainey Gaffin 1
SB: Rainey Gaffin 1
HBP: Tory Lewis 1 ; Gretchen Aucoin 1 ; Lexi Overstreet 1
Batting:
2B: Bailey, Katie Anne 1
HR: Seitz, Caroline 1 ; Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Gentle, Katie 2
RBI: Seitz, Caroline 1 ; Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Gentle, Katie 6
SF: Gentle, Katie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Seitz, Caroline 1 ; Bailey, Katie Anne 2 ; Silkwood, Alexis 2 ; Winkfield, Kayla 1 ; Gentle, Katie 2
HBP: Silkwood, Alexis 1 ; Winkfield, Kayla 1 ; Phillips, Ashley 1
