Williams' Blast In Sixth Helps 'Dogs Clinch Series, 4-1
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Callye Williams' three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning capped off a four-run comeback victory that propelled State to a 4-1 win over visiting LSU and helped the Bulldogs clinch its series with the 25th-ranked Tigers for the first time in school history Wednesday evening at the MSU Softball Field.
Williams' second homer of the campaign highlighted a 1-for-2 night at the plate for the Katy, Texas, junior as she led a quartet of Bulldogs (23-15, 5-6 SEC) with lone hits at the plate. LSU (17-13, 1-10) got one hit apiece from each of its first four batters in the lineup, but was stymied a handful of times by MSU starter Kelli Miller who held the Tigers' 5 through 9 hitters to an 0-for-12 night with a pair of walks.
Miller (8-4) posted her fourth consecutive triumph since returning from a shoulder injury with effective pitching, scattering four hits and striking out a pair of Tigers. The sophomore righthander also walked two batters and surrendered an unearned run. Emily Turner (8-8) was sent to her fifth consecutive loss and her second of the series, offsetting seven strikeouts with four hits that led to as many unearned runs for the hosts.
The game extended MSU's winning streak out to five games and gave the Maroon and White its first five-game league winning streak since posting nine-straight SEC wins in 2001. It was also State's first series victory over the Purple and Gold in a 34-game series that dates back to the 1982 season.
"Kelli is really pitching great," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Obviously, we need her in the circle. With her shoulder injury, we went through a tough stretch where we didn't have her for a couple of weeks. The key is, keeping her healthy the rest of the way. I thought she did a great job keeping them off balance and getting us out of a couple of jams. She kept us in the ball game and gave us a chance to win. That's all you ask for from your pitchers."
After both teams failed to muster even a sniff of the third base bag through the opening two innings, LSU capitalized on an MSU fielding error in the third, using its short game to move a runner to the hot corner before Lauren Castle's RBI single up the middle gave the Tigers the quick 1-0 lead. Tanelda McDonald broke up Turner's no-hit bid with a one-out single in the fourth, but Turner got a clutch double play with the next at-bat to escape the first real serious threat for the Bulldogs in the nightcap.
MSU used a throwing error and a pair of walks to move a Courtney Bures to third base with two outs in the sixth and plated the tying run moments later on a clutch fielding error by Tiger third baseman Lauren Delahoussaye. With McDonald and Jessup both aboard, Williams took a one-ball, two strike offering from Turner over the wall in left field to cap off the game-winning frame.
"We talked to the kids after this past weekend and told them that, if we can win every series the rest of the way out, we can win the SEC West," Miller said. "That's our goal, to go out and win each series. We've done that and now we have an opportunity to sweep. We want to finish it tomorrow and build upon that going into this weekend with Auburn."
The Maroon and White will close out its series with the nationally-ranked Tigers Thursday afternoon in a twilight game at the MSU Softball Field. The game has been tabbed with a 5 p.m. first pitch.
