'Dogs Drop A Pair To No. 24 South Carolina
Official Game 2 Statistics
Gamecocks Take Game One, 4-2; Take Game Two, 5-2
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The 24th-ranked South Carolina softball team (21-7, 4-1 SEC) plated a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings, then held off a late rally by Mississippi State (17-12, 0-2), to take the series from the host Bulldogs with a 5-2 victory in the second half of a twinbill Saturday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Five different players recorded base hits for the Bulldogs, with junior Brooke Best adding an RBI on a 1-for-3 performance. Amber Curtis sparked the Gamecocks on a 2-for-3 showing with a pair of RBIs on a two-run home run in the fourth.
State Starter Melissa Massey (3-5) struck out three over her fourth complete game of the campaign, but surrendered five runs on nine hits to saddle the loss for the Bulldogs. South Carolina starter Stacey Johnson (6-3) allowed a pair of runs on five hits in six and two-third innings of work to get the victory for the Gamecocks. Aleca Johnson retired the last batter of the ballgame with a pair of Bulldogs on the basepaths to nab her second save of the season.
South Carolina utilized three hits and a crucial pass ball to plate a runner in the second, then extended its lead to 3-0 in the third on an RBI single by Meghan Cornett and a fielder's choice RBI from the bat of Adrianna Baggetta. Curtis' two-run homer with one out in the fourth pushed Carolina's lead to 5-0 before the Bulldogs put together a rally in the seventh.
State got its first two runners of the inning on base courtesy of a leadoff walk and a Blaire Brown single, but Johnson quickly put a pair of outs on the board with the next two at-bats to calm the fires. However, the Bulldogs plated a pair of runs on a wild pitch by Johnson and Best's RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2, before Aleca Johnson came on to retire Jennfer Waterman on a groundout to second base.
In the opener of the doubleheader, South Carolina sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run first inning, then held off several strong surges from the Bulldog batting order to escape with a 4-2 victory.
Krystal Tillman (3-for-4, R) and Kate Jaspers (2-for-4) both turned in multi-hit performances for the Bulldogs, with Lindsay Nelson collecting a pair of RBIs on a 1-for-3 tally at the plate. Debralee Troesh collected a pair of doubles on a 4-for-4 performance to spark the Gamecocks.
Starter Kasey Whitehead (9-7) allowed four runs on four hits in the opening frame to take the loss for Mississippi State, despite scattering just five hits over her next four innings of work. South Carolina starter Megan Matthews (12-2) nabbed the victory despite surrendering 10 Mississippi State hits.
Whitehead retired two of the first three South Carolina hitters, but the Gamecocks put together a two-out rally, using three hits and two walks in their next five at-bats to plate four runs. Baggetta's two-run triple to right field put the finishing touches on the rally. Mississippi State answered in the bottom of the third on Lindsay Nelson's sacrifice fly to centerfield to cut the deficit to three runs, 4-1.
Mississippi State put together a rally in the seventh, getting their first two batters aboard via base hits, but Matthews regained her composure and retired the next two Bulldogs. Lindsay Nelson's RBI single to centerfield got the Bulldogs to within striking distance, but Matthews struck out Jaspers to end the game.
Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday when the Bulldogs close out their series with South Carolina with a single game at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m.
Game 1 - #24 South Carolina 4, Mississippi State 2 South Carolina 400 000 0 - 4 9 1 Mississippi State 001 000 1 - 2 10 1 Matthews and Quinones; Whitehead (1,2), Massey (1), Wilkerson (7) and Waterman. W - Matthews (12-2). L - Whitehead (9-7). Save - None. 2B: USC - Troesh 2. 3B: USC - Baggetta. Game 2 - #24 South Carolina 5, Mississippi State 2 South Carolina 012 200 0 - 5 9 1 Mississippi State 000 000 2 - 2 5 2 S. Johnson, A. Johnson (7) and Quinones; Massey and Brown. W - S. Johnson (6-3). L - Massey (3-5). Save - A. Johnson (2). HR: USC - Curtis.