Florida Squeaks By Bulldogs 2-1 To Finish Off Series Sweep
May 25, 2016 | Softball
* Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Florida plated a pair of runs on three consecutive hits in the third inning to forge a lead it would never relinquish and then held off a late rally by 22nd-ranked Mississippi State to complete a weekend sweep of the Bulldogs on a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.
Sophomore Nakita Boyce (1-for-3) drove in the only run of the game on the only hit of the game for Mississippi State (30-11, 4-5 SEC) who dropped its first league series of the season. Kristen Butler hit a solo homer and singled once on four trips to the plate for Florida (31-12, 10-5) who won their third consecutive SEC series after also taking two of three from Arkansas and 16th-ranked Auburn over the last week.
MSU starter Ragan Blake (16-5) scattered seven hits, struck out three and worked herself out of several jams, but took the loss anyway despite giving up just a pair of runs. Stacey Stevens (13-2) won her second outing of the series despite allowing an unearned run in a sixth-inning rally by MSU, with Stacey Nelson, Saturday's game two winner, picking up her third save of the season.
We played a little bit better defensively today, but overall we didn't play very well, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. We can't make defensive mistakes and beat good teams. That's the thing that we want to try and work on this week. We have Ole Miss on Wednesday and then go on the road for awhile. So, it's going to be a challenge for us to see how we're going to bounce back from this.
Having stranded four through the first two innings of play, the Gators made their hits count in the third, getting a solo homer from Butler to establish a 1-0 advantage and then used a single by Lindsey Cameron and a RBI double from Melissa Zick to cushion the lead out to a pair.
State had its first eight hitters retired in order before Blair Geddings drew a full count walk in the third, but Stevens sat down the next seven before the Bulldogs put together a sweep-threatening rally in the sixth. MSU put their first two on by virtue of an error and a walk, then moved both into position for Boyce who broke up Stevens' no-hitter with a single to rightfield that came very close to clearing the basepaths.
Courtney Bures, who had her season-long 11-game hit streak broke up in the outing, walked to juice the bases moments later before Florida slammed the door with a huge double play. Katie Cooley hit a deep fly ball to the outfield in an attempt to score pinch runner Rachel Hurley from third, but Gator rightfielder Kim Waleszonia followed with a cannon throw to the plate to preserve the lead.
Mississippi State will return to action on Wednesday when the Bulldogs begin an 11-game stretch away from home by traveling to Ridgeland, Miss., to take on cross-state nemesis Ole Miss (13-25, 1-11) in the fourth annual M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic. First pitch has been set for 6:30 p.m. at Freedom Ridge Park and tickets can be purchased in advance at Starkville, Oxford and Jackson area M&F Banks.
