'Dogs Post A Pair Of Victories At Georgia Tech
McMichael turned in three RBI on a 2-4 performance at the plate to highlight the Mississippi State offense, with Jennifer Jessup adding a pair of hits on a 2-4 performance. Mississippi State starter Kasey Whitehead gave up just one hit in 8 1/3 innings of work, but gave way to Wilkerson with one out in the ninth. Wilkerson retired the final five Georgia Tech batters of the game to record her eighth win of the season and run her scoreless streak to 40 1/3 innings.
Mississippi State got two-out singles in each of the first two innings, but was twice retired by Tech starter Erin Voeltz on a groundout to third base and a fly out to right field, respectively, to strand the runners. Wilkerson doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch for the ?«Dogs in the third frame, then scored on a fielder?s choice RBI by Jennifer Nelson to take a 1-0 lead.
Whitehead went perfect through the first three innings before Tech?s Kori Jacobson reached safely courtesy of a muffed throw by first baseman Kate Jaspers in the fourth. After a sacrifice bunt by Jamie Frost moved the runner into scoring position, Kori Jacobson tied the score at one apiece with an RBI triple under the glove of Kellie Wilkerson in centerfield. State put together a two-out rally in the sixth, getting Jennifer Jessup and Wilkerson on by way of a hit through the left side and a walk, but Voeltz escaped the threat when she got Jennifer Nelson on a groundout to second base. State, again, put a runner in scoring position in the sixth, using a fielding error by shortstop Tara Knudsen and a sacrifice bunt by Whitehead to move McMichael to second, but Voeltz got out of the jam, retiring Lindsay Nelson and Blaire Brown on consecutive flyouts.
The Bulldogs got a one-out single by pinch hitter Anna Joyce Lott in the seventh, then put a pair of runners on with two outs courtesy of an intentional walk to Wilkerson, but Georgia Tech retired Jennifer Nelson on an RBI groundout to cancel out the scoring threat. Mississippi State retired the Yellow Jackets in order in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings and put the international tiebreaker rule in effect. After neither team could score in their first two respective frames, Mississippi State loaded the bases with its courtesy runner and its first two at bats.
In the opener of the twinbill, Whitehead?s seventh-inning RBI single scored Jennifer Nelson with the go-ahead run as the Bulldogs used its 13th double-digit hitting performance of the season to defeat Georgia Tech, 3-2.
Three different players recorded hits for the Bulldogs with freshmen Kate Jaspers and Jennifer Jessup turning in 2-2 showings. Bulldog starter Jennifer Pursell worked the first 5 1/3 innings, surrendering a pair of earned runs on five Yellow Jacket hits, before giving way to Kellie Wilkerson with one out in the sixth. Wilkerson (7-0) shut down the last five Georgia Tech batters, striking out one, to stretch her scoreless inning streak to 38 2/3 innings.
Georgia Tech wasted no time backing State into a corner, using a pair of hits and a two-out walk to load the bases in the bottom of the first, then took a 1-0 lead courtesy of an Ellen Styer RBI single through the left side. The ?«Dogs got three hits with its first four at bats to load the bases in the second frame, then knotted the score back up on a deep fly ball by way of Jennifer Jessup?s bat to score Lindsay Nelson from third.
State?s Kate Jaspers drew a two-out walk in the third, then used a Jessup hit down the right field line to move to third, but the Yellow Jackets escaped the inning, getting Jessup out on the play after the redshirt freshman tried to stretch her single into extra bases. Wilkerson doubled and stole third to lead off the fifth, then scored on a two-out single down the leftfield line by Waterman to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Tech nearly matched the run in the bottom of the frame, getting Jennifer Biggers into scoring position on a leadoff single and a sac bunt, but Pursell got out of the inning on a groundout to second base.
State nearly extended its lead in the top of the sixth, using three hits to get as many baserunners, but Tech caught senior Robyn Schlagheck stealing second, then used a foul out by Wilkerson to retire the sides and escape the scoring threat. Georgia Tech mounted a rally in the bottom of the frame, getting leadoff batter Hawley aboard on a double to left center, before tying the score back up on a fielder?s choice RBI with one out showing.
Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday when the squad travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three-game set with #6 Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will begin their set in a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games of the series will be played at the Alabama Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Alabama.
Game 1 - Mississippi State 3, Georgia Tech 2
Mississippi State 010 010 1 - 3 11 0
Georgia Tech 100 001 0 - 2 5 0Pursell, Wilkerson (6) and Waterman; Goodman, Voeltz (6) and Waugh. W - Wilkerson (7-0). L - Voeltz (11-14). 2B - Miss. State, Wilkerson (10), Whitehead (2). SF - Miss. State, Jessup (1).
Game 2 - Mississippi State 0, Georgia Tech 0
Mississippi State 001 000 000 3 - 4 8 1
Georgia Tech 000 100 000 0 - 1 1 2Whitehead and Schlagheck; Voeltz and Miller. W - Wilkerson (8-0). L - Voeltz (11-15). 3B - Ga. Tech, Hawley. 2B - Miss. State, Wilkerson, McMichael, Lott.