Mississippi State Derails Chattanooga In Five Innings, 9-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Bulldogs Pound Out 15 Hits, Tally Four Spots In Third And Fifth Innings
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Mississippi State turned in its 11th double-digit hit total of the season and rallied for four runs in each of the third and fifth innings to blow past Chattanooga, 9-0 in abbreviated frames, Tuesday afternoon in college softball action at Jim Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mississippi State (19-13) had five players turn in multi-hit games at the plate, including three hits apiece from both Meagan O'Nan (3-for-4) and Katie Johnson (3-for-3). Blaire Brown drove in three runs on a 2-for-3 outing, Iyhia McMichael highlighted a 2-for-3 showing with a two-run homer and Jennifer Waterman turned in two hits on three trips to the plate. Chattanooga's top hitter, Melissa Ramirez, led the Lady Mocs (19-15) on a 2-for-3 day as well.
The 15 hits by Mississippi State fell one short of its season high hit total of 16 set on February 7 in a 25-2 victory over Jackson State in Starkville. The double digit hit total was State's first since erupting for 10 in a 8-0 victory over No. 14 South Carolina on March 6.
Mississippi State starter Kelli Miller (5-5) scattered seven hits and struck out one over four scoreless innings in evening her record up on the campaign, with rookie Sara Hickerson coming on to pitch a hitless fifth inning. UTC's Brittany Whittier was saddled with the loss for the Lady Mocs after allowing five earned runs on eight hits in two and two-thirds innings of work.
Chattanooga got something going immediately, using three consecutive one-out singles to load the bases in the first, but Miller induced Brittany Whitter into a quick line out to the third baseman Johnson who casually tagged the bag to get MSU out of the inning. The Bulldogs pieced together a two-out rally in the their half of the second when, after a one-out single from Johnson and a fielder's choice groundout by Brown, the pinch hitter Brandi Watkins tripled off the wall in right centerfield to score the runner from the first base bag.
The Maroons struck again in the third, extending their lead out to 3-0 on a leadoff single from O'Nan and McMichael's sixth home run of the season two batters later. State's rally in the inning would not die, however, as the Bulldogs got two-out knocks from both Lindsay Nelson and Johnson to put a pair of runners into scoring position and set the table for Brown, who smacked a frozen rope to rightfield to plate both runners and give the Dogs a 5-0 advantage.
Mississippi State would put the game away in the fifth, getting RBI singles from Nelson and Brown, before O'Nan plated two more runs on an infield hit to the left side to put the mercy rule into effect.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 9, CHATTANOOGA 0 (5 Innings)
Mississippi State 014 04 - 9 15 0Chattanooga 000 00 - 0 7 0
Miller, Hickerson (5) and Geddings, Brown (5). Whittier, Swarthout (3) and Pickett. W * Miller (5-5). L * Whittier (6-2). Save - None. HR MSU, McMichael (6). 3B MSU, Watkins (3). 2B MSU, Johnson (2), Nelson (5).
