Mississippi State
3-0
Tennessee Tech
2-2
Softball Sweeps Day With Pair Of Comebacks
February 13, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After posting 15 comeback wins in 2015, the Mississippi State softball team (4-0) picked up right where it left off by posting two come-from-behind wins on Saturday at Nusz Park.
As has been the trend for the Bulldogs this weekend, strong pitching kept opposing hitters in check and allowed State to continue its winning streak to open the season. Continuing the trend of the young season, fresh faces continue to see the field and make an impact for State.
“There are a lot of young faces out there,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We are trying to get a lot of people opportunities. The future is bright, we've got some good kids doing some good things who are some very talented young women.”
GAME ONE: MSU 11, TENNESSEE TECH 4
In her first collegiate start on the mound, freshman Regan Green struck out all three batters in order in the top of the first.
After applying pressure to the Tennessee Tech defense, back-to-back walks by sophomore Calyn Adams and junior Amanda Ivy gave MSU base runners to work with. Sophomore Katie Anne Bailey then belted a two-run double to give State an early 2-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, the Golden Eagles were able to put runners on and capitalize by scoring two runs on an error to tie the game at two. Tennessee Tech took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on another MSU error.
State stormed back immediately by loading the bases on a double and a pair of walks with two outs. Sophomore Morgan Bell delivered in the clutch with a grand slam home run to right which put the Bulldogs back ahead 6-4.
Ward was locked in for the sixth inning as she struck out two of three batters to preserve the Bulldog advantage.
MSU blew the game open in the home half of the sixth with a five-run frame that was capped by a two-run triple off the bat of senior Kayla Winkfield. A double from junior Mackenzie Toler gave State an 11-4 edge that would stand after seven innings.
Sophomore Holly Ward (2-0) collected the win as she held the Golden Eagles scoreless in 3.0 innings of work and tallied three strikeouts. Green finished the game with nine strikeouts over 4.0 innings pitched and allowed four runs, none of which were earned. Danielle Liberatore (1-1) took the loss for Tennessee Tech as she allowed 10 runs, all earned, and seven hits in 5.1 innings.
GAME TWO: MSU 2, ALABAMA A&M 1
In a Bulldog vs. Bulldog matchup, the visitors struck first by taking a 1-0 lead off of an MSU error in the second.
Freshman Cori Cooper entered in relief of starter Cassady Knudsen in the third and excelled in her collegiate debut as both defenses settled in.
A bunt single and stolen bases on back-to-back pitches from Winkfield set the stage for a sacrifice fly from Bell that allowed State to tie the game at one in the fourth.
Cooper continued to excel well into the sixth as she retired six straight Alabama A&M batters by strikeout to close her night before finishing with nine strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched, while having allowed just one hit and one walk.
Green entered in the seventh for her second appearance of the day, the first in relief. The freshman struck out all three batters she faced to keep the game knotted up.
With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Bailey ended the game with a single to right, scoring freshman Sabrina Turner and giving State the 2-1 win in walk off fashion.
Green (1-0) picked up her first career victory in one perfect inning of relief work in the seventh. Jordan Bradley (0-1) suffered the loss for Alabama A&M as she allowed both MSU runs on the night on three hits in 6.1 innings of work.
State will return for its final game in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic on Sunday, February 14 against Houston at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+, exclusively through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Admission is free for all regular season MSU home games.
For more information on the MSU softball program, follow “HailStateSB” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find all-access coverage of the Bulldogs on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ward, Holly (2-0)
L: LIBERATORE, Danielle (1-1)
Batting:
2B: CRUSE, Bayli 1
RBI: CRUSE, Bayli 1
SH: BENNETT, Olivia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LOWERY, Jessie 1 ; NEEB, Sabrie 1 ; RICHARDS, Alyssa 1 ; PEREZ, Gabby 1
SB: BROWN, Amity 1
HBP: KENNEDY, Kelly 1 ; RICHARDS, Alyssa 1
Batting:
2B: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Winkfield, Kayla 1 ; Toler, Mackenzie 1
3B: Winkfield, Kayla 1
HR: Bell, Morgan 1
RBI: Bailey, Katie Anne 3 ; Winkfield, Kayla 2 ; Toler, Mackenzie 1 ; Bell, Morgan 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Winkfield, Kayla 2 ; Seitz, Caroline 2 ; Moore, Kat 1 ; Bell, Morgan 1 ; Adams, Calyn 1 ; Nichols, Loryn 1 ; Ivy, Amanda 2
SB: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Winkfield, Kayla 1
HBP: Niu, Sarai 1 ; Adams, Calyn 1
