State Falls in Slugfest to No. 15 Kentucky

Saturday, March 16

Lexington, Ky.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

19-7, 0

#15 Kentucky

19-7, 0

Mississippi State

Kentucky

The Bulldogs slugged three home runs on Saturday, including Montana Davidson knocking the first homer of her career.

State Falls in Slugfest to No. 15 Kentucky

March 16, 2019 | Softball

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A windy afternoon at John Cropp Stadium set the stage for five combined home runs, but No. 15/18 Kentucky (19-7, 5-0 SEC) completed the comeback Saturday afternoon to top Mississippi State softball (19-7, 0-2 SEC), 8-9.

Trailing by two in the sixth inning, Kentucky plated three runs to mount the 9-8 comeback. The Bulldogs recorded four hits in the contest, three of which left the park for home runs. Sophomore Carter Spexarth delivered the biggest hit in the contest for State with a two-out grand slam in the third.

Junior Fa Leilua drove in three runs in the contest as she went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.

It was a staff effort by the Bulldogs in the circle as State used four different pitchers in the contest. Freshman Grace Fagan (3-4) was tagged with loss as she gave up the go-ahead in the sixth.

Down 0-2 early in the count, sophomore Mia Davidson displayed her patience at the plate to draw a two-walk in the top of the first to extend her reached-base streak to 19 consecutive games. Leilua gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the weekend season, roping a two-out double to right field that allowed Davidson to score from first.

After junior Lindsey Williams led off the top of the third with a walk, junior Candace Denis moved pinch runner freshman Jamie Gregg into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with a walk to senior Kat Moore and hit by pitch off the elbow of Mia Davidson.

The Wildcats picked up a huge second out retiring Leilua with a strikeout, but Spexarth cleared the bases with the fifth Bulldog grand slam of the season and the first of her career with a no-doubter to left field. Redshirt sophomore Montana Davidson joined the home run derby with the first dinger of her Bulldog career with a solo bomb to straightaway center to push the lead to 6-0.

Using two hit by pitches to get two on with two outs in the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs brought Denis in from left field into the pitching circle to face Kentucky's Alex Martens. The Wildcat junior found the gap in right center to plate two runs with a two-out single, slicing MSU's lead to 6-2.

The Wildcats cut the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth with a pinch-hit homer from senior Kelsee Henson.

Leilua would give MSU some breathing room in the fifth with her 13^th home run of the season. Her homer to left came after Mia Davidson's got on board via a hit by pitch for the second straight plate appearance. The two-run bomb push MSU's lead to 8-3.

Once again Kentucky answered in the home-half of the fifth inning. After a walk and bunt single put two Wildcats on, senior Abby Cheek slugged a home run to left center to cut MSU's lead back down to two.

In the bottom of the sixth, back-to-back hits in shallow left center put runners on the corners for the Wildcats. With a throwing error on a stolen base attempt at second base, Kentucky brought home a run to cut the Bulldog lead to 7-8. After Kayla Kowalik locked up the game with a triple to center, Kentucky took the lead with an RBI groundout to short from Cheek.

MSU brought the top of the order to the plate in the seventh, but Meghan Schorman retired the side in order to secure the comeback victory for Kentucky.

LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN
Fa Leilua recorded her 13^th home run of the season in Saturday's contest against the Wildcats. She now sits in a four-way tie for seventh in MSU single-season history with Caroline Seitz (2015), Kellie Wilkerson (1999) and Logan Foulks (2013).

She is now tied with Mia Davidson for the team lead in RBIs as the duo have 36 each, accounting for just under half (49 percent) of State's 2019 RBI total.

KENTUCKY SERIES SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Friday, March 15
Game One –No. 15/18 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 8-0 [5 inn.]

Saturday, March 16
Game Two – No. 15/18 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 9-8

Sunday, March 17
Game Three – Mississippi State at No. 15/18 Kentucky – 11 a.m. CT

ON DECK
The Bulldogs return John Cropp Stadium for the series finale at Kentucky on Sunday, March 17. Game three against the Wildcats is set for an 11 a.m. CT start on the SEC Network.

WATCH LIVE
The final contest at Kentucky will be televised nationally on the SEC Network with Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) on the call. The game will also be streamed online via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Sunday, March 17 – Mississippi State at #15/18 Kentucky (SEC Network)

LIVE STATS
Kentucky will provide live stats for all three-games of the weekend series via SideArm Sports. Live stats can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

ADMISSION
Tickets for this weekend series at John Cropp Stadium can be purchased by visiting www.ukathleticstix.com.

WEATHER
Sunday: 50 Degrees – Mostly Cloudy (10%)

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".