State Advances To Championship Sunday With 2-1 Victory Over Islanders
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
Live Stats
Live Audio
Austin Regional Bracket (PDF)
AUSTIN, Texas -- Tanelda McDonald's RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth inning plated Jennifer Jessup with the eventual game-winning run as second-seeded Mississippi State advanced into Championship Sunday for the first time with a 2-1 victory over third-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in an elimination contest Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Austion Regional at McCombs Field.
The win improved Mississippi State's record in extra innings on the campaign out to 3-0, while giving the Bulldogs (35-30) their most wins in NCAA Regional play since a 2-2 showing at the NCAA Region 1 Tournament in 2000. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (42-11) saw their season come to a quick close, despite posting a 6-2 victory against fourth-seeded UMass earlier in the day.
McDonald matched a career high with three hits in four trips to the plate, while tallying her sixth game-winning RBI of the season. Katie Cooley highlighted a 2-for-3 hitting line with a double and a solo home run, with Jessup also posting a multi-hit day with two singles in three trips to the plate. Nekkia Neash posted the Islanders' lone RBI on a 1-for-3 day at the plate.
MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux struck out three and surrendered a lone hit in three and one-thirds innings of work, but gave way to reliever Ragan Blake in the fourth due to a forearm injury. Blake (4-2) picked up her fourth relief victory of the season, scattering four hits and allowing just one earned run over four and one-thirds innings. Sarah Pauly (37-7) saddled her second loss in as many days against the Bulldogs, offsetting four strikeouts with nine hits and a pair of earned runs.
"I thought the kids played with lots of heart and fire and, defensively, we made some outstanding plays to save ourselves," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We saw an outstanding pitcher in Sarah Pauly and I think you saw a future Sarah Pauly when Ragan Blake came in. Just a freshman, she's going to be just as dominant when she is a senior.
"Tanelda (McDonald) battled all day and got the big hit for us to drive in the winning run. It was just a great all-around effort by the ball club."
With both teams showing signs of fatigue in the extreme mid-afternoon Texas heat, Mississippi State lit up the centerfield scoreboard first on a solo home run by Cooley with one out. After flirting with a scoring chance in the fifth, Corpus Christi answered in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI single by Neash that knotted the game back up.
Jessup singled to lead off the extra frame, and moved to second base on a perfectly executed sac bunt by Lindsay Hunley. Pauly got Courtney Bures on a fly out to left field, but allowed the dramatic hit on her second offering to McDonald moments later.
"The main thing that I was focusing on was getting on top of the ball and hitting it on the ground," McDonald said. "She (Pauley) has a great rise ball and it's very difficult to lay off of it."
Mississippi State will be in action again on Sunday when the Bulldogs face fifth-ranked and top-seeded Texas (44-11) in the regional championship game at noon. Should the Bulldogs prove victorious in the high noon game, the Maroon and White will face off with the Longhorns again 35 minutes later in a winner-take-all contest. The game can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven calling all the balls and strikes.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 2, TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 1
Mississippi State (35-30) 000 010 01 - 2 9 0Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (42-11) 000 001 00 - 1 5 1Comeaux, Blake (4) and Geddings. Pauly and Neash. W * Blake (4-2). L * Pauly (37-7). Save * None. HR * Cooley (MSU).
