Bulldogs Close Out Road Swing At #10 Alabama
May 25, 2016 | Softball
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Winners in seven of its last 10 outings, the Mississippi State softball team will close out a four-game road trip this weekend when the Bulldogs head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to battle SEC West rival and 10th-ranked Alabama in a three-game series at the Alabama Softball Complex.
The Bulldogs (25-18, 6-9 SEC) and Crimson Tide (41-9, 13-5) will renew their rivalry for the 31st time in a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader before closing out the set on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. All three games of the weekend series will be broadcast live on WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling all the play-by-play duties, while live in-game statistics will be available at the official Internet home for the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.
Although trailing by a 23-7 count in the overall series, Mississippi State has won three of the last four match-ups with the Crimson Tide, including capturing its first series victory last season in Starkville. In the set, the Bulldogs rallied to win games two and three by posting big innings en route to a pair of upsets over the then 10th-ranked Tide. Both will enter the weekend set fresh off midweek non conference victories. State took home a 5-2 triumph over cross-state nemesis Southern Miss in Hattiesburg and Alabama's defeated Belmont by a 6-0 count in Huntsville, Ala.
Alabama dropped a game to then-No. 2 ranked Cal on March 6 then followed with a pair of setbacks at then-No. 4 Tennessee, but have since rebounded with 17 victories in their last 20 outings, including eight wins over nationally ranked opponents. In addition to its triumph over the Bruins on Tuesday evening, Alabama is coming off a series victory over visiting Ole Miss last weekend and are currently leading the division.
The Crimson Tide has been successful this season due much to a very balanced team in all phases of the game. The Crimson and White has posted a .289 team batting average through 50 games this season and has held its opponents to a paltry .203 clip. Righthander Stephanie Van Brakle paces the three-armed pitching staff with a 20-4 record and a 1.33 ERA, while rookie Chrissy Owens has been equally as impressive, posting a 7-2 record, a 1.07 ERA and a school record eight saves.
Although possessing a littering of strong hitters throughout their lineup, the Crimson Tide has been led by a lethal offensive duo this season in Ashley Courtney and Dominique Accetturo. Courtney paces the squad with a .384 batting average, but Acceturo has provided a bulk of the power numbers this season with nine home runs and a team-best 29 RBI.
