Mississippi State
20-8
Southeastern Louisiana
17-13
Late Offensive Surge Pushes No. 25 State Past SLU
March 23, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Offense was of no shortage on Tuesday night at Nusz Park as the No. 25 Mississippi State softball team (20-8) defeated Southeastern Louisiana (17-13) 10-2 in six innings.
Following an early 2-0 deficit, the Bulldog bats came to life to tie the game in the third before scoring eight runs over the final three innings as ten different Bulldogs combined to score the 10 State runs on the night.
Leading the offense was junior Amanda Ivy, who finished 3-for-4 on the night with two runs batted in. Freshman Taylor Kelly recorded her first multi-hit game, in addition to hitting her first career extra-base hit. Sophomore Calyn Adams had a 2-for-3 performance with two RBIs.
“We looked a little like the Bad News Bears to start off,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “Coming off a huge series, the coach's challenge is to get the team ready to play the midweek games and to remember that every pitch does matter. We had a really good night up and down the lineup. We were able to work on some things and work on situational hitting.”
SLU broke through with the first run of the game on a two-out RBI double in the first inning and followed with another run in the second.
MSU got on the board in the second on a wild pitch that allowed sophomore Carmen Carter to score her eighth run of the season. That would be the only score that the Bulldogs would get in the second, as they left two runners stranded.
The Bulldogs managed to tie the score up at two runs apiece in the third inning, with Adams scoring on a wild pitch.
MSU got the bats going in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on base hits by junior Mackenzie Toler and Kelly that drove in Ivy and junior Katie Anne Bailey. Junior Caroline Seitz scored the third and final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Adams that put their side on top 5-2.
The Maroon and White continued its offensive success in the sixth, with an RBI single by Adams that drove in Toler. Kelly then crossed the dish on a sac fly to right by Carter. With one down, Ivy tied a career high with her third hit of the evening with a two-run single that scored senior Kayla Winkfield and Adams. The run rule was reached on a two-run double by Bailey that sent home freshman Sabrina Turner to end the ballgame in six innings by a score of 10-2.
Sophomore Cassady Knudsen drew her fourth start of 2016 for the Maroon and White and surrendered two runs in 1.1 innings before giving way to Toler in the second inning. Freshman Regan Green (5-3) took to the circle in the fourth to relieve Toler and finished strong down the stretch with three shutout innings, while allowing just one hit and striking out six batters to collect the win.
The Lions used a total of four pitchers on the night as Madison Vige' (1-2) took the loss after allowing a pair of runs, both earned, on two Bulldog hits. She also walked one and struck out one in her inning of work that saw the lead change in State's favor.
The Bulldogs will have a short turnaround as they take on Central Arkansas tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. CT from Nusz Park. The game will air nationally on the SEC Network and admission is free for all regular season games at Nusz Park.
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: Green, Regan (5-3)
L: Vige', Madison (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Nichols, Kinsey 1 ; Sather, Amber 1 ; Sullivan, Whitney 1
RBI: Sather, Amber 1 ; Gutierrez, Angelica 1
SH: Ramon, Jaquelyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nichols, Kinsey 1 ; Sutton, Peyton 1
CS: Gutierrez, Angelica 1
Batting:
2B: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Kelly, Taylor 1 ; Ivy, Amanda 1
RBI: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Toler, Mackenzie 1 ; Kelly, Taylor 1 ; Adams, Calyn 2 ; Carter, Carmen 1 ; Ivy, Amanda 2
SF: Adams, Calyn 1 ; Carter, Carmen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Seitz, Caroline 1 ; Toler, Mackenzie 1 ; Moore, Kat 1 ; Kelly, Taylor 1 ; Adams, Calyn 1 ; Carter, Carmen 1 ; Winkfield, Kayla 1 ; Turner, Sabrina 1 ; Ivy, Amanda 1
SB: Carter, Carmen 2 ; Nichols, Loryn 1
HBP: Bailey, Katie Anne 1 ; Toler, Mackenzie 1
