'Dogs Split A Pair With No. 21 Georgia
Official Game 2 Statistics
Series Finale To Be Aired On SEC-TV Sunday At 3 p.m. CST ATHENS, Ga. -- Brooke Best's RBI double to left center put the finshing touches on a two-run, fourth-inning rally as Mississippi State (20-15, 3-5 SEC) knocked off 21st-ranked Georgia (35-4, 7-4) and forged a doubleheader split with a 2-1 victory in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the UGA Women's Athletic Complex in Athens, Ga. Kate Jaspers, who scored on Best's clutch hit, paced the Maroon and White at the plate with a 2-for-3 tally, with four other players recording base hits for Mississippi State. Nicole Barber and Kim Wendland both turned in 2-for-3 days at the plate for the Red and Black. Starter Melissa Massey (4-7) scattered eight hits and struck out four over her fifth complete game of the season to grab the victory for MSU. Georgia starter Michelle Green (13-2), who is ranked among the SEC's top ERA leaders, surrendered a pair of runs on six hits to take the loss for Georgia. Georgia threatened immediately, using a leadoff single and a stolen base by Barber, the SEC stolen base leader, to move a runner into scoring position, before consecutive wild pitches by Massey allowed Barber to cross the plate with the 1-0 lead for the Red and Black. Mixed into the blindness was Katie Lewis' base hit, who moved to third base on Kim Wendland's grounder to short in the next at-bat, but Massey got out of the inning on a liner to second base and a groundout to shortstop. State used a leadoff single by Jennifer Waterman and a throwing error on Jaspers' sacrifice bunt attempt to put runners on the corners with its first two at-bats of the second inning, but Green exited the threat with ease, getting Krystal Tillman on a popout to shortstop, a gift after Jaspers left the first bag early and a swinging strikeout by Best. Georgia used consecutive one-out singles and a two-out walk to load the bases in the second, but Massey got Katie Lewis to ground out to third and escape the scoring threat. State used a leadoff single by McMichael and an errant throw from Lewis after Jennifer Waterman's sac bunt to plate its first run of the game, then used a bunt sngle by Jaspers and a two-out RBI double from Best to take its first lead of the series, 2-1, in the top of the fourth. The Red and Black threatened to tie the score in the bottom of the frame, getting Barber to third base on a two-out single and a pair of stolen bases, but Massey struck out Lewis looking to rudely slam the door on the threat. Georgia, although contritely, nearly retook the lead in the fifth when, with a runner on, Kristen Bell got every bit of Massey's first offering. However, MSU leftfielder Krystal Tillman used every bit of her six-foot frame, as well as her leaping ability, to rob Bell at the wall and get the Maroon and White out of the inning. Georgia nearly knotted the score in the sixth as well, getting Amy Brannan to third base with two outs, but first baseman Kellie Wilkerson left her feet to snag Barber's hard grounder up the first base line and get State out of the inning. Green issued two free passes to the Maroon and White to lead off the seventh, then loaded the bases on a base hit by Jennifer Nelson with the next at-bat. However, Green dug in and retired the next three Mississippi State batters to end a serious threat. In game one of the twinbill, Georgia rallied for three runs behind a near flawless pitching performance from starter Lacey Gardner to snap an eight-game losing streak to Mississippi State with a 3-1 victory. Best (1-for-3) managed State's lone hit of the game on a fifth-inning single, with Wilkerson (0-for-2) and Iyhia McMichael reaching base twice on a pair of walks each. Georgia's Wendland plated an RBI on a 2-for-3 hitting day, while teammate Julie Milner walked twice and scored a run on a 1-for-1 day at the plate. Massey allowed four hits and two earned runs in two and one-thirds innings of work to saddle the loss before giving way to Kasey Whitehead with one out in the third. Whitehead allowed four hits and one earned run in three and two-thirds of relief work, but was tagged with the no decision. Georgia starter Lacey Gardner (15-2) struck out fou and walked four in pitching a one-hit gem for the Red and Black, despite a shaky defense on the left side of the host infield. State wasted no time getting a runner into scoring position, using a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt by Jennifer Nelson in the first to move Wilkerson to second base. However, Gardner shook off the threat, retiring McMichael on a swinging strikeout and Blaire Brown on a grounder to first, to get out of the inning. The Maroon and White used consecutive one-out errors by Georgia to put a pair of runners on in the third, then loaded the bases on a four-ball walk to McMichael, but Gardner got Brown to ground out to shortstop and erase the threat. Georgia got a leadoff single from Julie Milner in the bottom of the third, then used a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. Michelle Tyree's RBI single with the next at-bat plated Milner from third with the 1-0 lead. Base hits with Georgia's next two at-bats put another runner into scoring position for the Red and Black and chased Massey from the circle. Lewis reached base on a bunt with the next at-bat and Georgia extended its lead out to 2-0 on Wendland's RBI single to left centerfield moments later. Bell lined to third baseman Faith Robinson with the next at-bat, who then tagged the third base bag to record State's 17th double play of the campaign and get the Maroon and White out of the inning. Georgia got a leadoff double and a one-out free pass in the fourth, then moved both runners into scoring position on Amy Brannan's sacrifice bunt. Whitehead moved ahead of Tyree on an 0-2 count, but her wild pitch moments later brought Shannon McKeon across the plate with the 3-0 lead. Tyree flew out to centerfield on the next offering. Best broke up Gardner's no-hitter with a leadoff single in the fifth, then State moved pinchrunner Amy Mosley into scoring position with Jennifer Jessup's grounder to second base. After getting Wilkerson on a fly out to left field, Garner surrendered her first run, this of the uneared variety, one batter later when Tyree's throw following Jennifer Nelson's roller sailed well above Wendland's head at first base. Mississippi State will return to action tomorrow afternoon when the Bulldogs return to the Georgia Women's Athletic Complex to finish out their series with nationally-ranked Georgia. First pitch of the series finale is slated with a 4 p.m. ET start time and is set to be regionally televised by SEC-TV (Fox Sports Net South).
GAME 1 - #21 Georgia 3, Mississippi State 1Mississippi State 000 010 0 - 1 1 0Georgia 002 100 x - 3 8 3Massey, Whitehead (3) and Brown; Gardner and McKeon.W - Gardner (15-2). L - Massey (3-7). 2B: UGA - McKeon.GAME 2 - Mississippi State 2, #21 Georgia 1Mississippi State 000 200 0 - 2 6 0Georgia 100 000 0 - 1 8 2Massey and Waterman; Hawkins, Green (1) and McKeon.W - Massey (4-7). L - Green (13-2). 2B: MSU - Best.