Wild Pitch In Eighth Helps State Finish Off Sweep Of Kentucky
May 25, 2016 | Softball
* Official Statistics
* Official Statistics (PDF)
Michelle Kinney highlighted a 2-for-3 hitting line with her first home run of the season to lead four Mississippi State (33-28, 7-22 SEC) players with base hits in the contest. Katie Cooley also drove in a run on a 1-for-2 outing with a walk. Brooke Marnitz doubled, homered and walked to finish off a perfect 2-for-2 day at the plate for the Wildcats (21-36, 4-26) who dropped their seventh straight in the series against MState.
Making her second consecutive start of the weekend, MSU righthander Stephanie Comeaux allowed an earned run on four hits in two and two-thirds innings of work, but did not factor into the decision. Ragan Blake allowed just one hit and one earned run in three and one-thirds innings from the circle, with Kelli Miller (2-0) picking up the win for the Maroon and White after striking out a pair in two hitless innings.
Amy Kendall (8-14) scattered five hits over seven innings of work, but took the loss anyway after being charged with the MSU run in the eighth. Trueblood's wild pitch brought the gamewinning score across the plate, but the rookie did not get a decision.
The Wildcats used a leadoff single from Lori Melchi, as well as successive one-out singles, to take a 1-0 lead in the third, but the Bulldogs answered with a run of their own in the fourth when Cooley doubled home Sammie Jo Bailey who had reached with a leadoff walk.
State took its first lead of the game on Kinney's leadoff homer in the following frame, but Kentucky knotted the score back up in the bottom of the seventh when Marnitz unleashed on a no-doubter that easily cleared the fence in leftfield. Hunley singled to begin the eighth and chase Kendall from the circle, and then moved to third base on a sac bunt from Courtney Bures and an ensuing groundout by Bailey.
State will now play the waiting game to learn of a possible NCAA Regional berth. The 2006 NCAA Softball Tournament Selection show will air on ESPNews on Sunday, May 14.
