'Dogs Post 8-0 Rout At Southern Miss Behind Blake's No-Hitter
May 25, 2016 | Softball
* Official Statistics
* Official Statistics (PDF)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Mississippi State plated three runs in each of the first and third innings behind sophomore righthander Ragan Blake's second no-hitter of the season and the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs avenged its first home loss of the season with an 8-0 mercy-rule rout of Southern Miss Thursday evening at the USM Softball Complex.
Courtney Bures and Katie Cooley each posted three hits on as many trips to the plate to lead the Bulldogs (30-8) in the hit column, while rookie Sammie Jo Bailey drove in a career-best four RBI on a 2-for-4 hitting line, including a three-run homer in the third inning to add to the highlight reel as well. Jessica Huerta was the only hitter of the ballgame to reach base for the Lady Eagles (18-23) who dropped their second-straight to the Maroon and White in Hattiesburg.
Blake (16-3), who tallied her first career no-hitter earlier this season in a win over Alcorn State, looked very dominant in repeating the feat, striking out eight and surrendering just a two-out walk in the first. Her eight strikeouts vaulted her to third place all-time on MSU's single season list. USM starter Samantha Davis (3-3) took the loss for the Black and Gold after allowing eight runs on 11 hits in just three and one-thirds innings from the circle.
With the win, the Bulldogs closed out the non-conference portion of its 2006 slate and reached the 30-win plateau faster than any other previous MState squad. The outing also put an exclamation point on a very successful month of March that saw MSU post a 17-8 record.
We really came out to play from that first inning on, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. I thought that we hit the ball great throughout the lineup and, when you get a no-hitter from the circle, you can't do a whole lot better than that. We made some nice plays defensively and just sort of cruised.
Mississippi State showed little mercy early on, tallying a pair of runs on four consecutive hits to begin the game, then adding a third on Bailey's two-out single to take a commanding lead into the bottom of the frame. State went to work again in the third, getting Bures and Cooley aboard on ensuing singles for Bailey's blast deep over the centerfield wall on a 2-and-2 offering from Davis that put State up by half a dozen heading into the fourth.
Cooley's two-run single in the fourth would provide the game's final runs.
Blake struck out the first two batters of the game for USM before surrendering a full-count walk to Huerta in the first. After that, the Sugar Land, Texas, native hit cruise control the rest of the way out, retiring the last 13 batters she faced to ice the victory.
Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs make a return trip to Starkville to host a three-game series with SEC East rival Florida (27-12, 6-5 SEC) in a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field. First pitch of Saturday's series opening doubleheader has been slated for 1 p.m., with Sunday's finale also scheduled for a 1 p.m. start time. Admission to all 2006 MSU Softball home games is free.
