'Dogs Close Out Five-Game Trip In Lexington
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Fresh off a doubleheader split at Hattiesburg Wednesday night, the Mississippi State softball team (23-17, 5-6 SEC) will close out its five-game road trip this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Lexington, Ky., for a crucial three-game set with the Kentucky Wildcats (16-18, 1-8) at the UK Softball Complex. The two teams will open up their series with a Saturday doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. EST first pitch and will close out the series on Sunday in a 1 p.m. EDT contest. In a series that has been tightly contested since its inception, the Bulldogs will make the trip to the Bluegrass State for the first time since splitting a doubleheader with the 'Cats on April 17, 1999. State has dominated the four meetings in Lexington - outscoring the Wildcats 34-13 in taking three of the four meetings - but Kentucky has come close to returning the favor in Starkville, having taken three of the seven meetings in the Magnolia State. The Maroon and White took two games of a three-game set last season at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The 'Cats will carry the SEC's second-best hitting clip (.304) into the contest and have scored at least two runs in six of nine conference games this season. Two players, senior Beth Fogle and junior Nikki Jones, carry averages above the .400 plateau into the weekend and pace a very potent Wildcat contingent that features six batters hitting .293 or better. Andy Eilertson possesses the team's fourth best average (.324), but paces the team with 26 RBIs on 14 extra-base hits. Lyndsey Angus follows close behind with 20 RBIs on a .393 mark. Despite the hitting tirade, Kentucky has not gotten much help from its pitching staff which will carry a 2.97 staff ERA into the weekend. The Wildcat pitching staff has allowed 58 extra-base hits this season and has struck out just 75 batters in 221.2 innings of work. Against SEC foes, the staff carries a 1-8 record and a 5.04 ERA and has allowed conference opponents to hit .346 against them. The Bulldogs will attempt to get out of a funk that has followed them throughout the first 11 games of its conference schedule. State will carry the conference's eighth-best hitting squad (.268) into the weekend and the SEC's ninth-best pitching staff (2.15). However, State has already faced three of the SEC's four-ranked teams, including fourth-ranked LSU whom the Bulldogs snapped a 17-game losing streak against. State will tote five batters into the weekend that are hitting .287 or better, including three-time all-American Kellie Wilkerson, who has recorded a .400 clip (44-for-110) with 17 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs this season. Wilkerson paces the SEC with a .550 on base percentage and 35 walks. Kentucky is expected to send Meghan Cooper (7-7, 2.50 ERA) to the circle in game one to face State's Melissa Massey (4-9, 1.95), with MSU expected to throw Kasey Whitehead (13-8, 2.42) against Jennifer Howland (6-5, 4.06) in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. Sunday's series finale will likely feature Massey against Kentucky's Morgan Marr (3-6, 2.56).