No. 14 Tennessee Stuns Mississippi State In Extra Frames, Sweeps Series
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
Lady Vols Cash In On Three In The Eighth, Hold Back MSU Rally
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State erased one-run deficits on two occasions, but No. 14 Tennessee pounded out five hits and crossed the plate three times in the eighth inning to break open an otherwise close game and complete its series sweep of the Bulldogs with a 5-3 win in the series finale Sunday afternoon in Starkville.
Iyhia McMichael turned in her seventh home run of the season and scored all three MSU runs on a 2-for-4 tally at the plate to pace the Bulldogs, while Lindsay Nelson accounted for the other two RBI on a 2-for-4 showing. Tennessee got a pair of hits from each of three different players, with Lauren Mattox producing a perfect plate showing on a 2-for-2 clip with a run scored.
Mississippi State starter Stephanie Comeaux surrendered a lone unearned run and struck out one in four strong innings of work but got the no decision. Staff ace Melissa Massey (8-7) came on in relief of Comeaux with the score tied 1-1 in the fifth and allowed four earned runs on six hits in three and one-thirds innings of work to take the loss. Kelli Miller ceded a lone hit in two outs of finishing work. UT ace Monica Abbott (23-4) struck out 10 Mississippi State batters for the second time in the series, but looked shaky in the decision, surrendering seven hits and a trio of earned runs.
"I thought we were right there," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We hit Abbott well and we moved the ball. Iyhia had a tremendous day, but we didn't get much support around her. We had some great opportunities to score, especially in the bottom of the seventh when we got a runner to third with one out. That is where we got stuck. It's a matter of stepping up and getting the job done. We had our opportunities and that was the frustrating thing."
Tennessee put its first real scoring opportunity together quickly, getting Mattox to third base with two outs in the third, but had to rely on a crucial throwing error by the Maroon defense to plate its first runner and take a 1-0 lead. State answered in the fourth, getting a pair of runners into scoring position for Nelson, who rattled off a bunt double to plate McMichael from third base and knot the score back up.
Tennessee retook the lead in the sixth on an Amber Rhinehart RBI single to left centerfield, but MSU countered in the bottom of the inning after getting a little help from the afternoon sun. With McMichael standing on second base, Nelson hit a pop fly to the second baseman Mandie Fishback, but the sophomore lost the ball in the light and allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game back up.
State looked poised to take the lead and the game in the seventh, getting Tanelda McDonald all the way around to third on a two-base error and a sac hit by Hayle Guess. However, Abbott slammed the door on the rally, inducing pinch hitter Callye Williams to pop up and getting Kate Jaspers on a swinging strikeout.
In extra frames, UT blistered Massey with four hits and a pair of runs in its first five at-bats of the frame to chase the junior from the circle and put the game away. McMichael's homer with the leadoff at-bat in the bottom of the frame cut the UT lead to 5-3, but the Bulldogs could not get any closer.
Mississippi State will return to action on Wednesday evening when the Bulldogs step out of conference for an in-state battle against Southern Mississippi. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at the USM Softball Complex in Hattiesburg.
Following its midweek non-conference action, the Maroon and White will head to Lexington, Ky., this weekend for a three-game set with the Kentucky Wildcats. UK will mark the first unranked SEC opponent that State has faced all season.
"We still have Alabama coming up, and Kentucky beat them today," Miller said. "It doesn't get any easier for us. If we play better, it does. We have got to do a better job and we have got to start playing together as a team a lot more than we have been."
