Thursday, February 14
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
10:00 AM
Mississippi State
4-2
1
vs
4
Southern Illinois
4-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi St. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Southern Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Emily Heimberger led MSU at the plate against SIU, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics
No. 25 Bulldogs Stumble to SIU in PV College Challenge Opener
February 14, 2019 | Softball
by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - A three-run sixth inning proved too much to overcome as No. 25 Mississippi State fell to Southern Illinois, 4-1, in the opening contest of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge at Nancy Alvarez Field on Thursday.
The Bulldogs (4-2) and SIU (4-2) were locked in a tied battle until the sixth inning when the Salukis hung up three runs against State's pitching staff.
At the plate senior second baseman Emily Heimberger led the Bulldogs as she went 3-for-2 with a run scored.
Junior pitcher Alyssa Loza (1-1) started the game for State as she tossed 5.1 innings. The right-hander gave up six hits and two walks while allowing all four runs. She struck out five in the contest. Both junior pitcher Candace Denis and sophomore pitcher Emily Williams toss a third of an inning for State in the game.
After retiring the top of State's lineup in order, Southern Illinois took advantage of a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first. After moving the runner to third with help of a sacrifice bunt and groundout to second, a two-out Saluki single to right field from Katelyn Massa brought home the first run of the game.
SIU would hold on to its 1-0 advantage until the top of third behind some clutch hitting two-out hitting for State. Heimberger led off the inning with a single up the middle. SIU forced two quick pop outs.
Heimberger helped her cause by swiping second base, her first steal of the season, to move into scoring position. Senior outfield Kat Moore didn't miss the RBI opportunity, knocking a two-out single back up the middle to lock the game at 1-1.
The Salukis looked primed to strike in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with no outs after a walk and back-to-back Bulldog errors on sacrifice bunt attempts, but Loza responded by forcing two infield pop ups and recording a strikeout to leave the bags loaded.
State had a chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth loading the bases with two outs after a hit by pitch and two walks, but SIU forced a fly out to right field to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
SIU's Massa delivered the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to deep center. The Salukis added an insurance run with a one-out RBI double from Ashley Wood to take a 3-1 lead.
The Bulldogs made two pitching changes in the sixth, but three walks in relief loaded the bases for SIU and brought home another insurance run for the Salukis.
Heimberger tried to spark the offense in the top of the seventh with a one-out single to center, but SIU held on to retire the next two Bulldogs to hang on for the win.
2019 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 14
Game 1 – Southern Illinois def. Mississippi State, 4-1
Game 2 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Washington – 6 p.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 3 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Sacramento State – 10 a.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 4 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. UCF – 12:30 p.m. CT
On Deck
State returns to Nancy Alvarez Stadium later tonight for its first Top 25 matchup of the season as the Bulldogs face No. 5 Washington at 6 p.m. CT.
Watch Live
All four of Mississippi State's contests in Puerto Vallarta will be streamed live via www.FloSoftball.com. A paid subscription is required to access the game feeds.
Live Stats
Mississippi State will provide live stats throughout the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Live stats can be accessed by visiting www.msu.statbroadcast.com
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".
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - A three-run sixth inning proved too much to overcome as No. 25 Mississippi State fell to Southern Illinois, 4-1, in the opening contest of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge at Nancy Alvarez Field on Thursday.
The Bulldogs (4-2) and SIU (4-2) were locked in a tied battle until the sixth inning when the Salukis hung up three runs against State's pitching staff.
At the plate senior second baseman Emily Heimberger led the Bulldogs as she went 3-for-2 with a run scored.
Junior pitcher Alyssa Loza (1-1) started the game for State as she tossed 5.1 innings. The right-hander gave up six hits and two walks while allowing all four runs. She struck out five in the contest. Both junior pitcher Candace Denis and sophomore pitcher Emily Williams toss a third of an inning for State in the game.
After retiring the top of State's lineup in order, Southern Illinois took advantage of a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first. After moving the runner to third with help of a sacrifice bunt and groundout to second, a two-out Saluki single to right field from Katelyn Massa brought home the first run of the game.
SIU would hold on to its 1-0 advantage until the top of third behind some clutch hitting two-out hitting for State. Heimberger led off the inning with a single up the middle. SIU forced two quick pop outs.
Heimberger helped her cause by swiping second base, her first steal of the season, to move into scoring position. Senior outfield Kat Moore didn't miss the RBI opportunity, knocking a two-out single back up the middle to lock the game at 1-1.
The Salukis looked primed to strike in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with no outs after a walk and back-to-back Bulldog errors on sacrifice bunt attempts, but Loza responded by forcing two infield pop ups and recording a strikeout to leave the bags loaded.
State had a chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth loading the bases with two outs after a hit by pitch and two walks, but SIU forced a fly out to right field to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
SIU's Massa delivered the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to deep center. The Salukis added an insurance run with a one-out RBI double from Ashley Wood to take a 3-1 lead.
The Bulldogs made two pitching changes in the sixth, but three walks in relief loaded the bases for SIU and brought home another insurance run for the Salukis.
Heimberger tried to spark the offense in the top of the seventh with a one-out single to center, but SIU held on to retire the next two Bulldogs to hang on for the win.
2019 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 14
Game 1 – Southern Illinois def. Mississippi State, 4-1
Game 2 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Washington – 6 p.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 3 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Sacramento State – 10 a.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 4 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. UCF – 12:30 p.m. CT
On Deck
State returns to Nancy Alvarez Stadium later tonight for its first Top 25 matchup of the season as the Bulldogs face No. 5 Washington at 6 p.m. CT.
Watch Live
All four of Mississippi State's contests in Puerto Vallarta will be streamed live via www.FloSoftball.com. A paid subscription is required to access the game feeds.
Live Stats
Mississippi State will provide live stats throughout the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Live stats can be accessed by visiting www.msu.statbroadcast.com
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: Jones, Brianna (3-1)
L: Loza, Alyssa (1-1)
Batting:
RBI: Moore, Kat 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Heimberger, Emily 1
SB: Heimberger, Emily 1
HBP: Moore, Kat 1
Batting:
2B: Decker, Kyleigh 1 ; Wood, Ashley 1
HR: Massa, Katelyn 1
RBI: Baranski, Susie 1 ; Massa, Katelyn 2 ; Wood, Ashley 1
SH: Vermejan, Maddy 1 ; Baranski, Susie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vermejan, Maddy 1 ; Massa, Katelyn 1 ; Decker, Kyleigh 1 ; Wood, Ashley 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/UT
/ SoftballUTL
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
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