Yellow Jackets Complete Sweep Of Visiting State, 5-3
Bulldogs Wrap Up 2-6 Road Trip; Arkansas On Deck At Home
ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech (31-16) climbed on Mississippi State (30-22) early, then rode a dominating pitching performance from Jessica Sallinger the rest of the way out as the host Yellow Jackets completed a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Bulldogs with a 5-3 victory Monday afternoon at Glenn Field in Atlanta.
Iyhia McMichael highlighted a 1-for-3 day at the plate with her 18th homerun of the season, while senior Jennifer Nelson extended her career-long hitting streak to 19 games on a 1-for-3 tally and scored a run. Tara Knudsen homered once on a 1-for-3 showing to lead the Lady Jackets.
Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey (19-9) tumbled to her second-straight loss, allowing four earned runs on seven Georgia Tech hits in just two innings of work, before giving way to reliever Courtney Frank in the third. Frank allowed just one run and one hit the rest of the way out, but got the no decision for the Maroon and White. Sallinger (17-10) struck out nine and surrendered just three hits to notch the win for Georgia Tech.
"Georgia Tech is a good ballclub and I thought they came out ready to play," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We put some runners in scoring position in both games, but couldn't get anybody to step up and give us the big hit. The last two weeks, it seems like we have been taking one step forward and two steps back. Hopefully we can change that this weekend against Arkansas."
Katie Donovan's two-out RBI single in the first gave Georgia Tech an early 1-0 lead, but the Yellowjackets extended their advantage out to four on a trio of RBI singles in the second and out to five on Knudsen's solo homer in the fifth.
MSU put its first two hitters on in the sixth via a throwing error and a walk to set the table for McMichael who took advantage of a dropped foul fly by catcher Tasha Waugh and crushed a 3-2 offering from Sallinger over the wall in centerfield to bring MSU to within a pair, 5-3.
Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs close out their 2003 comference home schedule by hosting Arkansas in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The 'Dogs and Lady 'Backs will open up their set with a 5 p.m. Friday doubleheader and close out the series on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m. Saturday's series finale will also mark Senior Day for the program, with State's Class of 2003 ? Brooke Best, Courtney Frank and Jennifer Nelson ? being honored in a pregame ceremony.
Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
GEORGIA TECH 5, MISSISSIPPI STATE 3
Mississippi State 000 003 0 - 3 3 0 Georgia Tech 130 010 x - 5 8 2Massey, Frank (3) and Brown; Sallinger and Waugh. W ? Sallinger (17-10). L ? Massey (19-9). Save ? None. 2B MSU, Brown. GT, Coursey. HR MSU, McMichael (18). GT, Knudsen.