Bulldogs Dominate Alcorn State For 6-0 Victory

Tuesday, April 18

Lorman, Miss.

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

32-14

Alcorn State

15-25

Mississippi State

Alcorn State

Regan Green tossed 6.2 innings of work on Tuesday, including a season-high 10 strikeouts as MSU shutout Alcorn State, 6-0.

Bulldogs Dominate Alcorn State For 6-0 Victory

April 18, 2017 | Softball

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LORMAN, Miss. – In the final non-conference game of the 2017 regular season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (32-14) dominated the Alcorn State Lady Braves (15-25) for a 6-0 victory Tuesday night at the Alcorn Softball Complex.

The Bulldogs struck early, getting a run in the opening frame thanks to the play of Bevia Robinson and Amanda Ivy. Robinson led off with a single to left field. She would then steal second base and advance to third on an Alcorn State error. From there, Ivy stepped to the plate and brought her home with sac fly to left field.

Caroline Seitz, who today became the second player in school history to earn SEC, NFCA and USA Softball Player of the Week awards in the same week, came out to the circle to open the game for the Bulldogs. The senior opened her first-career pitching appearance by walking the first batter and getting the second to ground into a fielder's choice. She would then give way to sophomore Regan Green, who got the Lady Braves to ground into a double play.

The next two frames would be quiet on both sides before the Maroon and White blew the game open in the fourth. Seitz opened the frame with a single and then advanced to second on the Lady Braves' second error of the day. The first run of the inning would come home when Olivia Golden fired off a triple to right center. Katie Anne Bailey would come up next and keep the scoring going, doubling to right center to score Golden.

Up 3-0, Bailey showcased her aggressiveness on the base paths, stealing third to set up a Sarai Niu sac fly to make it 4-0. Taylor Kelly followed with a single and would move to second on a groundout. Robinson picked up her second hit of the day on the next at-bat, driving Kelly across home plate. The final run came home courtesy of Ivy's bat, as her first triple of the season scored Robinson and gave State a solid 6-0 lead.

From there, Green went to work to shut down the Lady Braves. From the second inning to the start of the seventh, Green retired 16 batters-in-a-row. ASU would load the bases with a pair of walks and single, but Green's picked up her 10^th strikeout to close out the contest and secure MSU's 6-0 shutout win.

The Maroon and White earned 10 hits on the day, moving to 13-0 on the season when collecting at least 10 hits. Seven total Dogs recorded at least one hit against the Lady Braves, with three reeling in a multi-hit performance (Robinson, Ivy and Golden). Robinson now has 11 multi-hit games this season, while both Golden and Ivy have five each.

Ivy also turned in a pair of RBI for her second such showing of 2017.

Adding to Seitz's first-career pitching appearance was a hit and run scored on the day. That hit extends her career-high hitting streak to eight-straight contests.

The Dogs also shined on the base paths, led by Golden. MSU stole five bases for the third time this season and Golden's three steals led the way. Those are the most in a game by a Bulldog since Loryn Nichols stole three against Weber State on May 16, 2015.

Green moved to 5-1 on the year after collecting the victory. She threw 6.2 innings of work, turning in a season-high 10 strikeouts and only walking two batters. Together, Green and Seitz combined for the ninth shutout of the season for the Bulldogs.

The win also holds significance for MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman, as it is her 30^th-career victory against a Mississippi opponent. She is now 30-5 against in-state foes, including a 2-0 record versus Alcorn State.

Tuesday's victory gives MSU a 26-5 record to close its non-conference slate for 2017. That matches its previous high of 26 in 2015, when Stuedeman's squad finished 26-7 outside of league play.

State now returns home to Nusz Park for a three-game series against Arkansas. The series begins Saturday, April 22 at 5 p.m. CT. All three games will be nationally televised on the SEC Network, with Mark Neely and Jenny Dalton-Hill on the call.

Scoring Plays Versus Alcorn State…
1^st Inning – After Bevia Robinson made her way to third base, Amanda Ivy brought her home with a sac fly to left to give MSU the early 1-0 advantage
4^th Inning – Caroline Seitz opened the inning with a single and advanced to second on the ASU error, setting up an Olivia Golden RBI triple to make it 2-0 Bulldogs
4^th Inning – The Dogs kept it rolling, as Katie Anne Bailey came up an delivered an RBI double to push State's lead to 3-0
4^th Inning – After Bailey flashed her speed and stole third base, Sarai Niu brought her home with sac fly, making it 4-0 MSU
4^th Inning – Taylor Kelly tallied a one-out single, moved to second on a groundout and proceeded to score after Bevia Robinson delivered an RBI single
4^th Inning – The final run of the game came courtesy of Amanda Ivy, who crushed an RBI triple to score Kelly and give State the 6-0 lead

Green Shuts Down Alcorn State…
In 6.2 innings of work, MSU sophomore Regan Green kept ASU far from touching the scoreboard, as she helped secure MSU's ninth shutout of the year. Highlighting Green's performance was her season-high 10 strikeouts and a lockdown stretch of the game where she retired 16-straight batters from the second to the seventh.

Hits On Hits On Hits…
For the 13^th time this season the Bulldogs recorded at least 10 hits in a game and for the 13^th time this season, they came out victorious when doing so. A total of seven Bulldogs recorded a hit on the night, with three turning in a two-hit showing.

Stuedeman Continues In-State Dominance…
MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman picked up her 30th win against opponents from Mississippi on Tuesday, moving her career record to 30-5. She is also now 2-0 against the Alcorn State Lady Braves.

That's A Wrap On Non-Conference Play…
With Tuesday's win, the 2017 non-conference slate for the Bulldogs has come to a close. On the year, MSU finished 26-5 outside of the SEC, which is the most wins since capturing 26 during the 2015 campaign. That year the Dogs went 26-7 in non-conference action.

Ivy Leads The MSU Offense To Victory…
While a number of Bulldogs contributed to the offensive showing today, senior Amanda Ivy led the way for the Maroon and White. On the day, she was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs batted in, including a triple and a sac fly. She now has five multi-hit games and two multi-RBI contests this season.

Dogs Are Golden On The Base Paths…
For the third time this season, the Bulldogs recorded five stolen bases in game. Leading the way was Olivia Golden, who tallied a trio of stolen bases to set a new career high. The last time a Bulldog stole three bases in a contest was May 16, 2015, when Loryn Nichols stole three against Weber State.

Seitz To The Circle…
Caroline Seitz's Tuesday went like this: SEC Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger NFCA Player of the Week, USA Softball Player of the Week and her first-career appearance in the circle. Yes, you read that last one right. The star senior opened up the bottom of the first in the circle for the Dogs, walking the leadoff batter, but getting a fielder's choice form the next batter.

Up Next…
State now returns home to Nusz Park for a three-game series against Arkansas. The series begins Saturday, April 22 at 5 p.m. CT. All three games will be nationally televised on the SEC Network, with Mark Neely and Jenny Dalton-Hill on the call.

Social Media…
For more on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap".