Green's 11 Strikeouts Highlight Saturday Sweep

Saturday, March 5

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

14-3

Longwood

9-4

Longwood

Mississippi State

Green's 11 Strikeouts Highlight Saturday Sweep

March 05, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Dominant defense behind strong underclassmen pitching led the Mississippi State softball team (15-3) to a Saturday sweep in their twin billing on day two of the Bulldog Slamboree at Nusz Park.

MSU opened the day with a 3-1 comeback win over Longwood (9-4) and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 4-0 shutout of Central Arkansas (13-6).

Freshman Regan Green had the best performance of the day, and of her career, in her start in game two against Central Arkansas. Green pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only one hit and two walks, while striking out a career-high 11 batters. Saturday's dominant pitching performances from Green and fellow freshman Cori Cooper -- who threw four innings of one-run pitching -- have been a theme for the Bulldogs this season.

“We have six arms that we can use,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “I tell them all the time 'you don't have to have a lot of pressure on you, just go out there, get three outs, and the odds are always in your favor.'”

GAME ONE: MSU 3, Longwood 1
Cooper allowed her first earned run of the year as Longwood's Karleigh Donovan launched a solo home run in the top of the second. Junior Katie Anne Bailey helped Cooper keep Longwood off the base paths in the top of the third with a great diving catch at the warning track in left.

Junior Mackenzie Toler replied in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer of her own that cleared the wall in left center, her first of the season and her second hit of the game, tying the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Emily Heimberger and senior Kayla Winkfield bunted for hits before junior Caroline Seitz was intentionally walked, loading the bases with no outs. Toler earned her second RBI with a sacrifice fly to center, her fifth multi-RBI game of the season. Freshman Sarai Niu came up next and doubled down the right field line, scoring Winkfield and building the Bulldogs' lead to 3-1, and standing as the final run of the ballgame.

Collecting the win, sophomore Holly Ward (7-1) relieved Cooper in the fifth and pitched three scoreless frames to close out MSU's sixth come-from-behind win, despite pressure from Longwood in the fifth and sixth innings.

GAME TWO: MSU 4, Central Arkansas 0
Bailey picked up where she left off by putting the Bulldogs up in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run off of the video board in left field.

In the fifth Bailey singled to left center to bring senior Loryn Nichols home, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead and earning her team-leading 15th RBI of the season.

The Bulldogs added another security run in the sixth as sophomore Morgan Bell doubled to center, bringing in Seitz.

Regan Green (4-2) threw a dominant one-hit, complete-game shutout and recorded a career high 11 strikeouts in the process.

State will close out the Bulldog Slamboree Sunday as they host Western Kentucky at 2 p.m. CT. Admission is free for all regular season contests at Nusz Park. The game will air live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.

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.”