Scoring Outburst Carries #10 Alabama Past Bulldogs, 8-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Tenth-ranked Alabama sent nine batters to the plate in each of the first two innings to rally behind junior Stephanie VanBrakle's seventh shutout of the season as the Crimson Tide snapped a two-game series winning streak by Mississippi State with an 8-0 victory over the Bulldogs in the series opener Saturday afternoon at the Alabama Softball Complex.
The mercy rule win was the fourth such triumph by Alabama (42-9, 14-5 SEC) in the history of the 31-game series with Mississippi State (25-19, 6-10). The setback also snapped a wave of recent success for the Bulldogs who had beaten the Tide in three of the last four match-ups.
Katie Cooley and Courtney Bures each tallied 1-for-2 hitting lines for the Bulldogs, who also put a baserunner aboard on a free pass issued to Michelle Kinney (0-for-1). The Crimson Tide got a 6-for-11 showing from the first four athletes in its batting order, including a 2-for-2 outing from Ashley Courtney.
Having posted victories in five of her last seven appearances heading into the weekend, MSU starter Kelli Miller (9-6) lasted just one inning against the hot bats of Alabama, surrendering three earned runs on five hits and a walk to take the loss for the visitors. VanBrakle (21-4) allowed just a pair of hits and struck out five over her 17th complete game outing of 2005.
Alabama juiced Miller for 39 pitches in the bottom of the first, utilizing its first two batters of the frame to tack a run up early, then getting RBI knocks from both Ashley Courtney and Dani Woods to take a 3-0 lead into the second. The Crimson Tide threatened to cushion their lead even more by loading the bases with two outs, but Miller finally settled down and struck out UA's ninth batter of the inning, Emily Currie, on five pitches.
'Bama continued to wreak havoc on the MSU pitching in the second, this time getting a two-out single from Courtney before VanBrakle helped her own cause by putting everything behind Hickerson's second offering and smacking a ball over the fence in left field. The Crimson Tide put its next two batters on via an Accetturo double and a five-pitch walk delivered to Reed to set the table for Woods who laced a ball into the gap in left field to push the Alabama advantage to 7-0.
After a foul out to begin the bottom of the third, Alabama loaded the bases with its next three at-bats, then got a sacrifice fly from the bat of Accetturo to plate Jordan Praytor from third and extend its lead out to eight. State got its second runner of the game into scoring position in the fourth courtesy of a leadoff single from Bures and a groundout from Jennifer Jessup, but the Bulldogs could not capitalize as VanBrakle induced Callye Williams into an inning-ending groundout to nix the scoring threat.
