MSU Battles, Falls In 4-2 Decision At No. 9 Auburn

Friday, April 28

Auburn, Ala.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

34-16, 8-11

#9 Auburn

41-8, 13-6

Mississippi State

Auburn

Caroline Seitz hit her seventh home run of the year and 35th of her career on Friday night.

MSU Battles, Falls In 4-2 Decision At No. 9 Auburn

April 28, 2017 | Softball

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AUBURN, Ala. – It was a battle to the very end Friday night, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs (34-16, 8-11 SEC) fell in a tight 4-2 decision to the No. 9 Auburn Tigers (41-8, 13-6 SEC) in game one of the series.

Caroline Seitz, Bevia Robinson and Sarai Niu paced MSU's offense on the night. Seitz's seventh homer of the year gave State an early 2-0 lead, while Robinson and Niu each tallied two hits against the Tigers. Olivia Golden also had a base knock, singling in the fourth.

Robinson now has a team-high 14 multi-hit games this year, while Niu turned in her eighth of the season.

Seitz's two-run blast off the foul pole in left field opened up the scoring for the night. She now has 35 career bombs, putting her two shy of former Bulldog All-American Iyhia McMichael (2001-04) for second place on State's all-time homers list. Her hot streak continues, as she has now driven in 21 runs in her last 10 games.

Despite MSU taking the early lead, the home team would fire back quickly, plating two in the bottom half of the third to tie things up at 2-2. A bases-loaded walk pushed in the first run, with the second coming on an MSU fielding error.

The Tigers added two more an inning later, when a single and an error on a bases-loaded situation pushed the AU lead to 4-2.

After the fourth, game one turned into a defensive contest, with neither side able to break through. State would get the leadoff batter on in the fifth and two on in the seventh, but Auburn was able to fight off MSU's rally to seal a 4-2 series-opening win.

MSU and No. 9 Auburn will return to action Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT showdown. Fans can catch the action online on SEC Network + through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

Series Schedule At No. 9 Auburn…
Friday, April 28 –No. 9 Auburn def. Mississippi State, 4-2
Saturday, April 29 – Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn (6 p.m. CT)
Sunday, April 30 – Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn (1 p.m. CT)

Scoring Plays Versus No. 9 Auburn…
3^rd Inning – Caroline Seitz keeps her hot streak going with two-run blast off the foul pole in left to give MSU a 2-0 lead, moving her career-high hitting streak to 12-straight games and giving her 21 RBIs in the last 10 games

Bulldog Home Run Tracker…

Reggie Harrison vs. Fresno State, Feb. 16, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Morgan Bell vs. North Florida, Feb. 24, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Reggie Harrison vs. Eastern Illinois, Feb. 24, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
Olivia Golden vs. Eastern Illinois, Feb. 24, 2017 (0 on, 1 out)
Olivia Golden vs. Southern Illinois, Feb. 26, 2017 (2 on, 2 outs)
Morgan Bell at Southeastern Louisiana, Feb. 28, 2017 (0 on, 2 outs)
Olivia Golden at Southeastern Louisiana, Feb. 28, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Katie Anne Bailey at Southeastern Louisiana, Feb. 28, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
Caroline Seitz vs. Samford, March 3, 2017 (2 on, 1 out)
Katie Anne Bailey vs. UMass, March 3, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Reggie Harrison vs. Samford, March 4, 2017 (1 on, 0 outs)
Caroline Seitz vs. Samford, March 4, 2017 (0 on, 1 out)
Olivia Golden at No. 5 Texas A&M, March 10, 2017 (2 on, 1 out)
Reggie Harrison vs. No. 8 Alabama, March 17, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
Calyn Adams vs. No. 12 Oklahoma, March 24, 2017 (0 on, 2 outs)
Morgan Bell vs. South Carolina, April 9, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
Caroline Seitz at No. 19 Georgia, April 14, 2017 (3 on, 1 out)
Caroline Seitz at No. 19 Georgia, April 15, 2017 (3 on, 2 outs)
Caroline Seitz at No. 19 Georgia, April 16, 2017 (1 on, 1 out)
Caroline Seitz at No. 19 Georgia, April 16, 2017 (0 on, 2 outs)
Kat Moore vs. No. 24 Arkansas, April 22, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Sarai Niu vs. No. 24 Arkansas, April 23, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Sarai Niu vs. No. 24 Arkansas, April 24, 2017 (0 on, 0 outs)
Caroline Seitz at No. 9 Auburn, April 28, 2017 (1 on, 2 outs)

Seitz Stays Hot At The Plate…
Caroline Seitz remained one of the best when it comes to driving in runs, as her two-run homer in the third gave State a 2-0 lead. She has now hit safely in a career-high 12-straight games and has driven in 21 run in her last 10 games.

That home run gives her a team-high seven on year and 35 for her career. She is two shy of tying former MSU All-American Iyhia McMichael for second place on MSU's all-time home runs list.

Multi Hit Games Are Becoming The Norm For Bevia…
Once again Bevia Robinson earned multiple base hits, going 2-for-4 on Friday night. She now has 14 multi-hit games this year, which leads MSU. Also earning a two-hit showing was sophomore Sarai Niu, who has eight multi-hit games this season.

Weather…
Saturday's Forecast (April 29) – AM Clouds/PM Sun, 86 degrees (10%)
Sunday's Forecast (April 30) – Mostly Cloudy, 86 degrees (20%)

Live Stream…
Both of this weekend's remaining two contests will be live streamed on SEC Network +. Fans can also access the games through WatchESPN.com, the ESPN app or clicking the links below.

Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn SEC Network + (Saturday)
Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn SEC Network + (Sunday)

Live Stats…
Auburn will provide live stats for the final two games this weekend. They can be found in the link below.

Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn Live Stats (Saturday)
Mississippi State at No. 9 Auburn Live Stats (Sunday)

Admission…
Admission to this weekend's games at Jane B. Moore Field is $10. Fans can purchase tickets at the park or by clicking this link.

Up Next…
MSU and No. 9 Auburn will return to action Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT showdown. Fans can catch the action online on SEC Network + through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

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".