Bulldogs Use Early Rallies To Clip Lady Eagles, 6-3
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
State Posts Three Spots In First Two Innings; Claims M&F Bank Fastpitch Trophy
RIDGELAND, Miss. -- Mississippi State posted three spots in each of the first two innings, then held off a couple late inning Southern Mississippi rallies to defeat the Lady Eagles, 6-3, and claim the M&F Bank Faspitch Classic title for the first time in a barnburner Tuesday afternoon at Freedom Ridge Park in Ridgeland, Miss.
Lindsay Nelson drove in a run on a 3-for-4 tally at the plate, while Blaire Brown drove in a run and scored once on a 2-for-4 hitting night. Senior all-American Iyhia McMichael crossed the plate two times and walked twice on a 1-for-2 hitting line. Diane Hammes provided two of USM's three runs on a two-run homer in the fourth to pace the Lady Eagles.
Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey (11-8) threw three and one-thirds innings of hitless ball before Hammes' homer in the fourth and finished her five and one-thirds innings of work only allowing one earned run on three hits. Reliever Stephanie Comeaux worked the last five outs of the game, surrendering an unearned run on a pair of hits. Danielle Wymer (5-6) saddled the loss for Southern Miss after allowing six earned runs on nine hits and four walks.
"I thought we did a nice job early of putting some runs on the board, but it was a little frustrating that we sat on the lead," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We gave them an opportunity to get back in the game and that is going to hurt us down the road. Melissa dominated early in the game, then sort of ran out of gas. But, I hoped we would have finished up a little stronger after the way we started those first two innings."
Wymer struggled from the get-go, throwing just 13 strikes in 32 total pitches in the opening frame. State would punch the Black and Gold for just two hits in the frame, but used smart work on the paths to produce three runs and take an early 3-0 lead. The Bulldogs continued to attack Southern Miss in the second, this time pounding out five hits to score three more runs and take a 6-0 lead into the third.
Showing complete dominance of the Southern Miss batting order, Massey allowed her first baserunner of the contest on Callye Williams' fielding error in the fourth, then gave up her first hit of the outing to Hammes in the next at-bat. The knock was a big one, however, as Hammes took a 1-1 offering from the junior and muscled the ball over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Southern would scratch the scoreboard again in the seventh, but in a last ditch effort. Williams' diving stop with one out and runners at the corners in the final frame could not stop another run from crossing the plate, but was enough to take the wind out of the Lady Eagles' sails. Comeaux got Hammes to ground out with the next at-bat to ice the game.
Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs return home for the first time in more than two weeks to host SEC West rival and nationally ranked Alabama in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two squads will renew their rivalry with a 5 p.m. Friday doubleheader, and will close out the set on Saturday with a single game set for 1 p.m. Admission to all 2004 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
