Sunday, March 18
Columbia, Mo.
12:00 PM
Mississippi State
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Missouri
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Mississippi State
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Mizzou
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Kat Moore's second home run of the season lifted Mississippi State to its first opening weekend series victory since 2011.
Kat Moore Lifts No. 20 Bulldogs to Series Victory at Missouri
March 18, 2018 | Softball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With the game locked at 3-3 in the fourth, junior Kat Moore knocked a solo home run to spark a 6-3 comeback as No. 20 Mississippi State (25-4, 2-1 SEC) clinched a series victory at Missouri (17-14, 1-5 SEC) Sunday at Mizzou Stadium.
Moore led MSU at the plate going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including the go-ahead home run in the fourth inning. Senior Calyn Adams also turned in a 2-for-3 outing with an RBI double.
Freshman Emily Williams earned the start, tossing 2.1 innings. Williams allowed three runs, two earned off three hits, three walks with one strikeout. Senior Holly Ward was virtually untouchable in relief. Over 4.2 innings, Ward allowed just one hit and struck out six.
The series win over Missouri is the first for the Bulldogs in program history since the Tigers joined the league for the 2014 season.
The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first with help of two walks and a single to deep short, but senior Reggie Harrison retired the side with some great range to snag a tricky pop up in shallow center to retire the side.
Taking that momentum into the dugout, junior Sarai Niu led off the inning with her second-career triple, her first since her freshman season back in 2016, with a shot in the gap to right center. Moore knocked the go-ahead shot, taking advantage of the Tiger infield playing her shallow, with a single slapped over the second baseman's head to pick up an RBI. Adams made it a 2-0 lead for the Bulldogs with another MSU hit to the gap in right center with a two-out, RBI double.
Freshman Mia Davidson extended the Bulldog lead to 3-0 in the top of the third with her team-leading 10th home run of the season. The solo shot moved Davidson into a tie for eighth on MSU's single-season home run chart.
Missouri answered back in the bottom of the third with a walk and two doubles to cut MSU's lead to one run. With two outs, an infield bobble allowed an unearned run to score for the Tigers to lock the game up at 3-3.
The Bulldogs answered right back as Moore put MSU back on top in the fourth, leading off the inning with her second home run of the season with a solo shot to right field. MSU would follow the solo homer by loading the bases with help of a Mizzou error and singles by Adams and redshirt junior Bevia Robinson. A Davidson bases-loaded, one-out walk pushed MSU's lead to 5-3 before the Tigers turned an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.
A Missouri double play wiped away a lead-off single by Carmen Carter in the sixth, but Robinson manufactured a run by legging out a triple to left field and scoring on a wild pitch.
In relief, Ward produced shutdown inning after shutdown inning, retiring 11 straight Tigers before allowing a one-out single up the middle in the top of the seventh. The right-hander responded, stranding the runner at second to clinch the series win.
ON DECK
Mississippi State returns home on Wednesday, March 21 to host Central Arkansas at Nusz Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted nationally on the SEC Network. Wednesday is also part of MSU's "No One Fights Alone" campaign as the team will be wearing teal to bring awareness to ovarian cancer in support of freshman outfielder Alex Wilcox's battle with the disease.
MAMA MIA!
Just 29 games into her freshman season, Mia Davidson has already etched her name into the record books. Davidson slugged her 10th home run of the season, which ties for eighth all-time with five other Bulldogs. Her 10 home runs are the most by a Bulldog since Caroline Seitz slugged 13 over the 2015 season.
OPENING WEEKEND SUCCESS
With its series victory over Missouri, Mississippi State has opened conference play with a series victory for the first time under the Vann Stuedeman era and the first time since 2011 when the Bulldogs swept South Carolina in a shorten two-game series.
FOLLOW THE DAWGS
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".
Moore led MSU at the plate going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including the go-ahead home run in the fourth inning. Senior Calyn Adams also turned in a 2-for-3 outing with an RBI double.
Freshman Emily Williams earned the start, tossing 2.1 innings. Williams allowed three runs, two earned off three hits, three walks with one strikeout. Senior Holly Ward was virtually untouchable in relief. Over 4.2 innings, Ward allowed just one hit and struck out six.
The series win over Missouri is the first for the Bulldogs in program history since the Tigers joined the league for the 2014 season.
The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first with help of two walks and a single to deep short, but senior Reggie Harrison retired the side with some great range to snag a tricky pop up in shallow center to retire the side.
Taking that momentum into the dugout, junior Sarai Niu led off the inning with her second-career triple, her first since her freshman season back in 2016, with a shot in the gap to right center. Moore knocked the go-ahead shot, taking advantage of the Tiger infield playing her shallow, with a single slapped over the second baseman's head to pick up an RBI. Adams made it a 2-0 lead for the Bulldogs with another MSU hit to the gap in right center with a two-out, RBI double.
Freshman Mia Davidson extended the Bulldog lead to 3-0 in the top of the third with her team-leading 10th home run of the season. The solo shot moved Davidson into a tie for eighth on MSU's single-season home run chart.
Missouri answered back in the bottom of the third with a walk and two doubles to cut MSU's lead to one run. With two outs, an infield bobble allowed an unearned run to score for the Tigers to lock the game up at 3-3.
The Bulldogs answered right back as Moore put MSU back on top in the fourth, leading off the inning with her second home run of the season with a solo shot to right field. MSU would follow the solo homer by loading the bases with help of a Mizzou error and singles by Adams and redshirt junior Bevia Robinson. A Davidson bases-loaded, one-out walk pushed MSU's lead to 5-3 before the Tigers turned an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.
A Missouri double play wiped away a lead-off single by Carmen Carter in the sixth, but Robinson manufactured a run by legging out a triple to left field and scoring on a wild pitch.
In relief, Ward produced shutdown inning after shutdown inning, retiring 11 straight Tigers before allowing a one-out single up the middle in the top of the seventh. The right-hander responded, stranding the runner at second to clinch the series win.
ON DECK
Mississippi State returns home on Wednesday, March 21 to host Central Arkansas at Nusz Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted nationally on the SEC Network. Wednesday is also part of MSU's "No One Fights Alone" campaign as the team will be wearing teal to bring awareness to ovarian cancer in support of freshman outfielder Alex Wilcox's battle with the disease.
MAMA MIA!
Just 29 games into her freshman season, Mia Davidson has already etched her name into the record books. Davidson slugged her 10th home run of the season, which ties for eighth all-time with five other Bulldogs. Her 10 home runs are the most by a Bulldog since Caroline Seitz slugged 13 over the 2015 season.
OPENING WEEKEND SUCCESS
With its series victory over Missouri, Mississippi State has opened conference play with a series victory for the first time under the Vann Stuedeman era and the first time since 2011 when the Bulldogs swept South Carolina in a shorten two-game series.
FOLLOW THE DAWGS
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".
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ward, Holly (10-2)
L: Lauren Rice (4-10)
Batting:
2B: Niu, Sarai 1 ; Adams, Calyn 1
3B: Niu, Sarai 1 ; Robinson, Bevia 1
HR: Davidson, Mia 1 ; Moore, Kat 1
RBI: Davidson, Mia 2 ; Moore, Kat 2 ; Adams, Calyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Davidson, Mia 1 ; Niu, Sarai 1 ; Moore, Kat 2 ; Carter, Carmen 1 ; Robinson, Bevia 1
SB: Moore, Kat 1
Batting:
2B: Cayla Kessinger 1 ; Braxton Burnside 1
RBI: Braxton Burnside 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cayla Kessinger 1 ; Delaney McDannold 1 ; Braxton Burnside 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF/C
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OF
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C/INF
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INF
/ SoftballUTL
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INF
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P
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