State Holds Off Arkansas In Nightcap, 3-2
Bulldogs To Celebrate Senior Day Prior To Saturday Afternoon Rubber Match
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State (31-23, 11-14 SEC) got a pair of runs in the third to build an early lead, then held off a late charge by visiting Arkansas (21-30, 5-18) to forge a doubleheader split with a 3-2 victory Friday evening at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Blaire Brown drove in a scored a run to highlight a 1-for-3 tally at the plate, with Lindsay Nelson (0-for-1, BB) and freshman Callye Williams (1-for-2) providing key RBI for the Maroon and White offense. Jennifer Nelson had her career-long 20-game hitting streak snapped, walking once on a 0-for-2 showing at the plate, while Jennifer Jessup completed a torrid day at the play, walking twice on a 1-for-1 clip. Stephanie Hunter collected a RBI on a 2-for-3 night to pace the Lady 'Backs.
Melissa Massey (20-9) became just the fourth Bulldog pitcher in school history to record 20 or more wins in a season, holding Arkansas to a trio of hits and a pair of earned runs in five and one-thirds innings of work to notch the victory. Reliever Krystal Tillman recorded the last five outs of the ballgame to pick up her first career save. Valanna Lyons (8-12) saddled the loss for Arkansas, allowing a pair of earned runs on two hits and two walks in just one and two-thirds innings of work.
Arkansas drew first blood on Hunter's RBI double in the top of the second to take a quick 1-0 lead, but the Maroon and White responded in the bottom of the frame, getting a RBI triple from Brown and a RBI groundout from Lindsay Nelson to take a 2-1 lead into the third. Brooke Best led off the third with a seeing-eye single, and moved around the basepaths to third on a wild pitch and a sac bunt by Lindsay Nelson to set the table for Williams, who delivered a deep fly ball to centerfield to score Best from third.
Arkansas put a pair of runners in scoring position with two outs in the fifth and cut its deficit to just one run on a sac fly by pinch hitter Melissa Johnson.
The Bulldogs and Lady Razorbacks will engage each other again Sunday afternoon at p.m. when the squads return to the Mississippi State Softball Field for the rubber match at 1 p.m. The game will be preceded by Senior Day festivities as seniors Brooke Best, Courtney Frank and Jennifer Nelson will be honored in a special ceremony. Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, ARKANSAS 2
Arkansas 010 010 0 -- 2 3 1Mississippi State 020 100 x -- 3 5 0
Lyons, Woodward (2), Schlichtman (5) and Nieman, Easley (5); Massey, Tillman (6) and Brown. W - Massey (20-9). L - Lyons (8-12). Save - Tillman (1). 2B - UA Hunter. MSU Jessup. 3B - MSU, Brown.