MSU Drops Series Finale At No. 9 Auburn

Sunday, April 30

Auburn, Ala.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

35-18, 8-13

#9 Auburn

43-8, 15-6

Mississippi State

Auburn

Bevia Robinson extended her hitting streak to seven-straight games on Sunday, tying her career high.

MSU Drops Series Finale At No. 9 Auburn

April 30, 2017 | Softball

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AUBURN, Ala. – In the final road contest of the 2017 regular season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (34-18, 8-13 SEC) rallied late but fell short, falling to the ninth-ranked Auburn Tigers (43-8, 15-6 SEC) 6-3 in Sunday's series finale.

Caroline Seitz led the way on Sunday, going 2-for-3, closing out her weekend with four hits, three RBI, two runs scored and a pair of homers. She now has 13 multi-hit games this season, second on the team, and extended her career-high hitting streak to 13-straight games.

Bevia Robinson, Reggie Harrison, Olivia Golden and Amanda Ivy all tallied a hit for the day, with Golden and Ivy turning in doubles. Robinson's single in the sixth pushed her to a seven-game hitting streak, which ties her career high.

The Tigers jumped ahead early, with six runs over the first two frames. A two-run homer and RBI groundout gave AU a 3-0 lead after one. Another RBI groundout and a two-RBI single back to the pitcher gave the home squad a 6-0 advantage after two.

MSU would cut into the lead in the fourth, starting off with a Seitz single. Harrison would reach on a fielder's choice and was then driven home thanks to a double by Golden, dropping Auburn's lead to 6-1.

After a silent fifth from both sides, the Dogs chipped away again in the sixth, this time cutting the AU lead down to 6-3. Robinson opened the frame with a single to left center and a stolen base, her team-leading 29^th of the year. A Kat Moore walk and Seitz single would load the bases, setting up a Sarai Niu RBI groundout that scored Robinson. The third run came off a well-stuck infield single from Reggie Harrison, scoring Moore.

Cassady Knudsen, who relieved Holly Ward in the third, retired eight-straight to close out the game. MSU came to bat in the seventh looking to rally, but the Tigers kept the Dogs at bay, closing out a 6-3 series-finale victory.

Ward (7-8) drew the start for the Bulldogs, going 2.0 innings. Knudsen turned in 4.0 innings of work, striking out two and not giving up a hit.

The Bulldogs return home to close out the 2017 regular season, hosting the Kentucky Wildcats from May 5-7. The series first two games will be nationally televised on SEC Network, while Sunday's game will be live streamed on SEC Network +. All three games can be viewed online 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 –No. 9 Auburn def. Mississippi State, 6-2
Sunday, April 30 – No. 9 Auburn def. Mississippi State, 6-3

Scoring Plays Versus No. 9 Auburn…
4^th Inning – Olivia Golden doubled to right, scoring Reggie Harrison for the first Bulldog run of the game
6^th Inning – With the bases loaded, Sarai Niu drove home MSU's second run with a grounder to the shortstop, cutting Auburn's lead to 6-2
6^th Inning – Reggie Harrison cut the Tigers' lead down to three with an infield single, scoring Kat Moore

Seitz Caps Off A Solid Weekend At The Plate…
MSU senior Caroline Seitz went 2-for-3 in the series finale on Sunday, capping her weekend going 4-for-10 with three RBI, two runs and a pair of home runs. She extended her career-high hitting streak to 14-straight games and tallied her 13^th multi-hit game of the year, which stands second on the team.

Robinson Extends Her Hitting Streak…
With a single in the top of the sixth, Bevia Robinson extended her hitting streak to seven-straight games. That stretch ties for the longest hitting streak of her career. Robinson also stole second in that inning, moving her team-high stolen bases total to 29.

Up Next…
The Bulldogs return home to close out the 2017 regular season, hosting the Kentucky Wildcats from May 5-7. The series first two games will be nationally televised on SEC Network, while Sunday's game will be live streamed on SEC Network +. All three games can be viewed online 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".