Softball Walks Off In Extras To Remain Unbeaten

Sunday, February 21

Mobile, Ala.

12:15 PM

Mississippi State

9-0

Samford

4-5

Samford

Mississippi State

Softball Walks Off In Extras To Remain Unbeaten

February 21, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

MOBILE, Ala. – For the fifth time this season and the 55th time in the Vann Stuedeman era, the Mississippi State softball team recorded a comeback victory, this time a walk-off win in extra innings over Samford on Sunday.

Sophomore Morgan Bell delivered the knockout blow with a three-run homer to lift MSU (9-0) to a 5-2 win over Samford (4-5) in eight innings. The victory also gave Stuedeman her 150th win as a head coach, all of which have come at MSU.

Junior Caroline Seitz was the most efficient State slugger on the day as she went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Sophomore Holly Ward picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 5-0 on the season.

“Another day, another comeback,” Stuedeman said. “We sure are a tough bunch and that shows a lot so early in the season. There are things we can improve upon so that we don't need late game heroics every time, but right now I am just pleased with how we are playing together.”

An MSU error in the second came back to hurt them immediately as the very next batter roped a triple to right center, scoring the first run of the game and giving Samford a 1-0 lead.

With two outs in the third, State tied the game on a single to shallow left from Seitz to score senior Kayla Winkfield from first base.

Both sides continued to threaten, but timely pitching and stout defenses kept any additional runs from crossing the plate.

State was able to jump ahead in the fifth courtesy of aggressive base running from Winkfield. The speedy Giddings, Texas native led off the inning with a double to left and Seitz once again brought her home, this time on a sacrifice fly to left. Winkfield never slowed up after reaching third and caught the Samford defense off guard to score with ease.

One out away from defeat, Samford used a triple to score a runner from third and tie the game at two. With MSU unable to bring across a run in the home half of the seventh, the game would head to extra innings.

Seitz and fellow junior Mackenzie Toler led off the eighth by both reaching base safely to set the table. Bell stepped to the plate with no outs and drove a pitch over the wall in left center to lift State to the 5-2 walk-off victory in extras.

Ward collected the win by allowing just two runs, one earned, on four hits in eight innings pitched, along with seven strikeouts on the afternoon. Mollie Hanson (2-3) took the loss as she allowed all five MSU runs on eight hits in eight innings of work.

The Bulldogs will now head west for a single game at Southeastern Louisiana on Monday with first pitch set for 5 p.m. CT.

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.”