#9 Alabama Too Much For Mississippi State, 5-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
SEC Tournament Central
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State To Face #6 Seed South Carolina On Friday In Elimination Contest
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Second-seeded Alabama scored single runs in five different innings to support a one-hit shutout by senior Jennifer Wright as the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide handed seventh-seeded Mississippi State its third-straight SEC Tournament loss with a 5-0 victory Thursday afternoon at the Florida Softball Stadium.
Alabama (54-12) erupted for 11 hits and tied an SEC Tournament record with a pair of home runs in its fourth consecutive victory over the Bulldogs (32-28) and its first victory over MState in the SEC Tournament since 2000. The offensive showing by the Bulldogs marked its lowest hit total in eight appearances at the league's championship tournament, besting a previous low of three recorded in a 7-1 loss to then-No. 25 Georgia in 2002.
Tanelda McDonald recorded MSU's only hit in three trips to the plate, with two other players reaching on Alabama errors. Jackie Wilkins highlighted a 3-for-4 hitting line with her fourth home run of the season, while Stephanie VanBrakle homered for the eighth time this season and drove in a pair of runs on a 2-for-4 plate tally for the Crimson Tide. UA got multi-hit tallies from Jordan Praytor and Ashley Courtney as well.
MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux (10-9) surrendered nine hits and four earned runs in four and one-thirds innings from the circle to take the loss for the Bulldogs, with reliever Ragan Blake striking out three and allowing only two hits in one and two-thirds innings for the no decision. Having taken the loss in Alabama's regular season finale at Lipscomb, Wright (18-5) rebounded in a big way against the Bulldogs, allowing just one hit and striking out two over her eighth complete game of the season.
"I was getting ahead (of the batters) and I was able to throw pitcher's pitches, said Wright of her performance. I just wanted (Mississippi State) to put the ball in play and let my defense make a play."
Comeaux got into trouble real early, letting Alabama load the bases with its first three at-bats of the contest, before recording an out on VanBrakle's grounder to the left side that let Bures get the force out at home. The MSU righthander delivered three consecutive balls to begin Accetturo's at-bat and, despite throwing a pair of strikes to take the count full, walked in the game's first run that let the Crimson Tide take an early lead into the second inning.
The Crimson Tide cushioned their lead out to a pair on VanBrakle's RBI double in the third that brought Courtney racing home from first, then pushed their advantage out to 5-0 with solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings by Wilkins and VanBrakle, respectively. A sixth inning RBI double by Courtney in the sixth would provide the final.
"(Jennifer Wright) did a nice job on the mound, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. She hit her spots and really made the ball move. We could not get our bunts down in the first inning and could not really get anything going offensively after that. We need to do a better job offensively. I thought that we were very anxious. We need to get off to a better start and give our pitchers some support."
Mississippi State will continue action in the SEC Tournament on Friday morning when the Bulldogs face sixth-seeded South Carolina (28-27-1, 11-17) in a loser's bracket contest at 11 a.m EDT. The Gamecocks were a mercy-rule victim of third-seeded Auburn on Thursday morning as the Tigers scored multi-runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to defeat USC by an 8-0 count.
Friday's elimination contest can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 FM, with live in-game statistics available via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.
#9 ALABAMA 5, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0
Mississippi State (32-28) 000 000 0 - 0 1 0Alabama (54-12) 101 111 x - 5 11 2Comeaux, Blake (5) and Geddings. Wright and Courtney. W * Wright (18-5). L * Comeaux (10-9). Save - None. HR * Wilkins (UA), VanBrakle (UA).
