Bulldogs Use Long Ball To Salvage Series With #16 Florida
May 25, 2016 | Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Visiting Mississippi State hit three solo home runs, including a pair in the third inning, to shake off a rough outing on Saturday and key a 3-0 victory over 16th-ranked Florida that helped the Bulldogs salvage its weekend series with the Gators Sunday afternoon at the Florida Softball Field.
The trio of home runs marked the most for the Bulldogs (31-24, 11-15 SEC) since hitting the same amount in a 10-8 extra inning loss at Ole Miss on April 28, 2003 and brought the Maroon and White to within one four-bagger of matching the school record. Despite capturing its first series victory over the Bulldogs since 2001 with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, Florida (36-13, 15-6) was unable to capture its first series sweep of the Bulldogs in school history.
Courtney Bures homered for the second time in as many days to highlight a 2-for-3 hitting line at the plate, but was joined by Katie Cooley (1-for-3) and Katie Johnson (2-for-4) in the home run column. Blair Geddings turned in a 2-for-3 day for MSU, while Callye Williams recorded two base knocks in four trips to the plate to extend her career-long hit streak out to nine games. Kristen Butler turned in a 2-for-3 hitting line to pace the Gators.
MSU starter Kelli Miller (12-9) produced her team-leading fourth shutout of the season after keeping the Gators off balance for much of the contest. Miller scattered eight hits and struck out two over her seventh complete game of the season in earning the decision. Florida ace Stacey Stevens (21-8), who earned both wins against MState on Saturday, took the loss in her second relief appearance of the weekend after being charged with three earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks in just three innings of action from the circle.
I was very pleased with the way we came out and went at them today, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. We didn't get much out of our offense yesterday, so it was nice to see us do what we needed to do at the plate today. We got a fantastic performance from Kelli Miller and I thought that was a good sign. We didn't help her out much, either offensively or defensively, yesterday so it was good that we gave her the run support she needed today to get the win.
After stranding a pair of runners on the base paths in its half of the second, State used a leadoff home run by Cooley to take a 1-0 lead in the third, before Stevens recovered to record outs with State's next two at-bats of the inning. However, Bures, who hit a mammoth shot to deep centerfield on Saturday against Stevens, ripped a 3-and-1 offering from Stevens just over the top of the fence line in centerfield to stretch the MSU advantage out to a pair.
After MSU flirted twice more with home run blasts that died on or just shy of the outfield warning track, Johnson added State's third blast of the game with the leadoff at-bat in the top of the sixth that shadowed the left field foul line before clearing the fence. The Gators got their leadoff batter aboard in each of the second through fifth innings, but were unable to plate a single run in any of the four chances. The Bulldogs aided Miller with heads-up double plays in each of the second and fourth innings to protect the lead.
Mississippi State will return to action on Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs head to Madison, Miss., for the rubber game of its disjoined three-game series with cross-state rival Ole Miss. First pitch of the game, which is part of the third annual M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic, is set for 6:30 p.m. at Madison's Liberty Park.
