Softball Breaks Home Run Record in SEC Win

Saturday, May 2

Columbia, S.C.

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

35-17, 10-13

South Carolina

35-19, 9-14

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Mississippi State	3	4	2	0	0	0	0	9	12	2
South Carolina	1	0	1	1	0	3	0	6	7	3

Softball Breaks Home Run Record in SEC Win

May 02, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Courtesy of a two home run and six RBI outing from sophomore Mackenzie Toler, Mississippi State jumped ahead of South Carolina early on Saturday and didn't look back.

After having scored nine runs through the first three innings, the Bulldogs were able to cruise to a 9-6 victory at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. MSU now has 52 home runs this season, which sets a new program record for homers in a season after having hit 51 in 2013.

The State victory helped them tie the series up at one game apiece and improve to 35-17 overall and 10-13 in Southeastern Conference play. USC fell to 35-19 overall and 9-14 in league play with the loss.

“I am very happy with the way the offense came out swinging to set the tone early,” assistant coach Samantha Ricketts said. “The home run record is a testament to this group and how hard they have worked this year. Mackenzie Toler is a great example of that improvement and she came up big for us today with runners on base.”

After having stranded runners early on in game one on Friday, the Bulldogs started very differently in game two as sophomore Mackenzie Toler launched a ball deep to left-center field for a three run home run in the top of the first.

USC answered in the home half of the first as a sacrifice fly to right plated one and brought the score to 3-1.

State went back to work in the second by getting its first two hitters of the inning on base. Sophomore Katie Anne Bailey made it count as she drove a ball deep to left for a sacrifice fly that scored sophomore Amanda Ivy from third. Back at the dish with two runners on, Toler got another pitch she liked as she went yard for her second homer of the day as she made it a 7-1 game with her three-run jack.

A deep fly out to left with two outs in the third off the bat of sophomore Caroline Seitz was simply dropped for a two-base error that plated Ivy and pushed MSU's lead to 8-1. Freshman Morgan Bell capitalized on the error as she drove a single to left that scored Seitz and made it a 9-1 advantage.

A solo shot to center field brought the Gamecocks closer as the score read 9-2 through three full innings. USC plated another run in the fourth, this time off of an error that brought the score to 9-3. A three-run sixth for the Gamecocks closed the gap even further as through six, the scoreboard read 9-6 in favor of MSU.

In the bottom of the seventh, USC loaded the bases with two outs and brought the winning runner to the plate, but the State defense was locked in and clinched the 9-6 victory.

Sophomore Alexis Silkwood (24-13) recorded the complete-game victory for the Bulldogs as in 7.0 innings she struck out nine and surrendered seven hits for six runs, with only four having been earned. For USC, Julia Sarratt (17-10) recorded the loss as she gave up nine runs, six earned, off of 12 Bulldog hits.

The series between the two sides will conclude with a rubber match on Sunday, first pitch set for 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised in front of a national-television audience on the SEC Network.

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.”