Gators Finish Off Twinbill Sweep With 2-0 Upset Of No. 22 Mississippi State
May 25, 2016 | Softball
* Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Florida scored a pair of runs on ill-timed fielding errors by Mississippi State in the second and seventh innings and then rode an effecting outing from righthander Stacey Nelson to a 2-0 upset victory over the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs that finished off a Saturday afternoon doubleheader sweep and clinched the weekend series for the visitors.
Mississippi State (30-10, 4-4 SEC) got 2-for-3 outings from Courtney Bures and Nakita Boyce to provide all the hits for the Bulldogs who dropped consecutive home games for the first time since March 12-13, 2005, against Georgia. Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Kim Waleszonia turned in both RBI on a 1-for-3 outing for the Gators (30-12, 9-5) who won two-straight in Starkville for the first time in series history.
MSU starter Ragan Blake (16-4) struck out three and scattered five hits over her team-leading 17th complete game of the season, but took the tough luck loss for the Bulldogs despite allowing just a lone earned run. Nelson (9-6) picked up the four-hit shutout win for the visitors while striking out four in the process.
I thought Ragan pitched a good game and kept us in it, but we have got to give her some support, said Mississippi State softball head coach Jay Miller. We ran ourselves out of an inning (in the seventh) and, again, we didn't take advantage of the opportunities that we given to us. We dug ourselves a pretty good hole with two losses today. The question now is can we dig ourselves out of it.
By virtue of a walk and a single, as well as a key fielding error, Florida juiced the bases with its first three at-bats in the second, then used Waleszonia's run-scoring single to take a 1-0 lead into the third. After four consecutive quiet innings behind the strong outing from Blake, the Gators would plate an insurance run in the seventh, getting a bunt single from Stacie Pestrak, a two-base throwing error by the Bulldogs and a Waleszonia sacrifice fly to provide the final.
Mississippi State will attempt to salvage its weekend series with the Gators on Sunday when the two lock horns again in the weekend finale at the MSU Softball Field. First pitch has been slate for 1 p.m. and admission to all 2006 Mississippi State softball home games is free.
