Mississippi State
18-4
Cal State Fullerton
15-8
MSU Suffers Setback On Second Day In Long Beach
March 12, 2016 | Softball
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Day two of the Louisville Slugger Invitational was not as prosperous as the Mississippi State softball team (18-5) had hoped as MSU dropped both of its games Saturday.
Despite having out-hit Cal State Fullerton (15-8) in their first game of the day, the Bulldogs were unable to outscore the Titans as one hit from CSUF was all they needed to pick up the 2-0 victory.
State seemed to be off to a strong start in game two with a home run from the second batter of the game, but MSU couldn't hold on against Long Beach State (13-8), falling 5-1.
While the Bulldog pitching staff found success at times throughout the day, the offense was only able to bring across one run on five hits combined on the day.
“Today was tough,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We were one key hit or one big pitch away from two wins. We have a great club and when we put it all together it's going to be fun.”
GAME ONE: Cal State Fullerton 2, MSU 0
Neither team was able to record a hit through the first two innings, but when Cal State Fullerton changed that in the third they didn't stop there. With two on and two outs, a double off the wall in right allowed the Titans to take a 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs threatened in the fourth and fifth by putting a combined five baserunners in the two frames, but the CSUF defense did not allow any runs to come across.
State continued to put the ball in play, but the Titan defense prevented anything more than runners on base for the remainder of the game. Despite efforts from MSU pinch hitters in the seventh, CSUF held on for the 2-0 victory.
Desiree Ybarra (4-4) collected the complete-game shutout and the win by allowing just four hits in the game along with having struck out three. Junior Alexis Silkwood (0-1) also went the distance but suffered the loss in her first decision of the season, allowing two runs on three hits and having struck out two.
GAME TWO: Long Beach State 5, MSU 1
MSU used its role as the visitors to its advantage as junior Amanda Ivy went yard for a solo home run with one out, putting her side ahead 1-0 in the first on her first long ball of the season.
Hitless through the first 3.2 innings, the 49ers made it count when they ended the drought as a single to right scored a runner from second who reached via walk to tie the game at one run apiece.
Looking to pull ahead in the home half of the sixth, Long Beach State did just that with a two-run homer to left to go ahead 3-1 for their first lead of the game. The inning would not end there as a one-out single plated two more 49ers, pushing the score to 5-1.
That would be more than enough for Long Beach State to secure the victory as State was only able to put one runner on in the seventh before the final out was recorded to give the Bulldogs the loss.
Cielo Meza (6-4) collected the win for the 49ers as she went the distance and allowed just one run on one hit on the evening, both of which came on Ivy's home run. Meza also struck out 10 State hitters. Freshman Regan Green (4-3) took the loss for MSU by allowing three runs on five hits in 5.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Holly Ward tossed the final inning for the Bulldogs, allowing two runs on three hits.
State will play its final scheduled game in California on Sunday in a rematch with Cal State Fullerton at 1:30 p.m. CT. The matchup will be available for listening through HailStatePLUS as the voice of Bulldog softball, Anthony Craven, will have the call.
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: Ybarra, Desiree (4-4)
L: Silkwood, Alexis (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Taukeiaho, Missy 1
RBI: Taukeiaho, Missy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, Ariana 1 ; Rippy, Delynn 1
Batting:
SH: Winkfield, Kayla 1
Base Running:
CS: Carter, Carmen 1
