Bulldogs Subdued By #16 Florida In Series Opener, 4-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Sixteenth-ranked Florida plated single runs in each of the second and fourth innings behind a solid outing from staff ace Stacey Stevens to post its first win over visiting Mississippi State since 2003 on a 4-0 triumph over the Bulldogs in the series opener Saturday afternoon at the Florida Softball Field.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Bulldogs (30-23, 10-14 SEC) who was facing its 20th nationally ranked opponent of the season. With the outcome, the nationally ranked Gators (35-12, 14-5) tasted just its second victory in the last 11 series meetings with the Maroon and White.
Five different players recorded base hits for the Bulldogs, with Jennifer Jessup singling and walking to pace the offense. Callye Williams tallied a 1-for-3 hitting line to extend her hitting streak out to a career-long seven games. Shelley Stevens scored twice on a 3-for-3 day at the plate to pace the Gators.
MSU starter Kelli Miller (11-9) scattered seven hits over her seventh complete game of the season and saddled the loss for the Bulldogs after striking out a trio of Gators and allowing four runs (three earned). Stacey Stevens (20-6) recorded her 20th victory of the season for Florida striking out three and allowing just five hits over her 16th complete game of the campaign.
State got a double from McDonald to lead off the second inning, then put runners on the corners two batters later on a one-out single from Blair Geddings. But Stevens settled down, inducing a fielder's choice groundout to record the second out of the inning on a play at the plate, and struck out Michelle Kinney to nix the MSU scoring threat.
The Gators answered with a scoring threat of its own in the bottom of the frame, capitalizing on a Schuerman single, as well as an MSU fielding error, to put a runner into position for Savana Kelly who ripped Miller's first offering up the middle to give UF a 1-0 lead heading into the third.
The Gators put Shelley Stevens on with a leadoff single in the fourth and used its next at-bat to move the runner into scoring position for Kristen Butler. Butler hammered Miller's first offering of the at-bat to plate the runner from second and pad the UF lead out to 2-0. Florida would use a pair of singles and a crucial MSU throwing error to plate a pair of unearned insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and provide the final.
#16 FLORIDA 4, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0
Mississippi State (30-23) 000 000 0 - 0 0 0Florida (35-12) 010 102 x - 4 7 0Miller and Geddings. St. Stevens and Butler. W * St. Stevens (20-6). L * Miller (11-9). Save * None.
