The Mississippi State softball team, scheduled to play five games over the weekend, came out of this weekend with only a fraction of the experience it expected as Saturday’s games were rained out. The team was scheduled to take on Delta State and Shelton State Community College Saturday.
Sunday’s games were played as scheduled under sunny skies. The MSU softball field saw all three contests end in 2-1 scores Sunday.
In the first contest of the Sunday slate, the two visiting teams ended their matchup with a Wallace State Community College victory over Marion Military Institute.
MSU then took down MMI and WSCC in 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. contests, respectively.
MSU seventh-year head coach Jay Miller said the biggest thing he was impressed with from the weekend was his team’s pitching.
The Bulldogs return their entire pitching staff from last season while adding freshman Lindsay Dunlap to the core.
“I like what we’re doing on the mound,” Miller said. “All three pitchers came out, took control and dominated.”
The MSU pitching staff, which consists of Kelsey Nurnberg, Elizabeth Woolven and Dunlap, allowed only two earned runs on seven hits on the weekend. The Bulldogs struck out 19 batters Sunday.
Miller also said he was impressed with the team’s defense.
Sophomore Ali Bainbridge made several solid defensive plays, including a sliding catch on the first base line for MSU’s final out against Wallace State. Her performance perhaps solidified her position as the team’s starting second baseman for the spring season.
Miller said the glaring hole in the Bulldogs’ game, however, was the team’s offense. The team only scored four runs on 14 hits, and Miller said he wasn’t impressed.
“We didn’t hit the ball worth a darn,” Miller said. “We looked like a bunch of fools at the plate. We’ve got to do better than that. The thing is, we hit well in practice. We just have to carry that over into the game.”
Two players that did well at the plate for State were senior Sammie Jo Bailey and sophomore Brittany Bell.
Bailey went 3-for-3 in the game against Wallace State. She is one of only two seniors on this season’s team.
“[Being a senior means] more responsibility,” Bailey said. “I’ve taken it in stride. It was understood that I’d have to take on a leadership role.”
Bailey has been combating nagging injuries to her hamstring and thumb during the offseason. She said her hamstring feels better, and her thumb is on the healing track.
Bell, the team’s only returning outfielder despite being only a sophomore, went 2-for-3 in the game against MMI.
“I feel a little pressure,” Bell said. “I just know it’s time for me to step up. I need to be better than I was last year.”
The team has four more exhibitions next weekend, hosting Mississippi Valley State, Hinds CC, Jones JC, and West Alabama.