The Mississippi State University softball team had its Sunday tournament games cut by rain for the second straight weekend, but not before clinching the championship in the Bulldog Classic.
The Lady Dawgs opened the tournament on Friday swinging, scoring a pair of runs in each of the first two innings of the contest against Tulsa. They were then able to use excellent pitching from Kelli Miller and Stephanie Comeaux to cruise to a 5-0 victory.
Miller pitched powerfully the first five innings for the win, tallying a 7-1 strikeout/walk ratio, and Comeaux closed out the final two innings, earning her first save of the young season.
In Friday’s nightcap the squad suffered its only loss of the weekend, a 5-3 heartbreaker to Tennessee Tech.
The Golden Eagles jumped all over Bulldog ace Melissa Massey in the early goings, as she allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings before being chased from the circle.
After Katie Johnson’s RBI and a two-run home run by senior third baseman Tanelda McDonald, the first homer of her career, the ladies in maroon tried to tie the game in the seventh with two runners on base.
However the relief pitching of the Eagles proved too strong as Bonnie Bynum forced the Dawgs to line out and strike out for their final two outs.
“We’re fighting with some injuries right now and we have a lot of kids playing out of position, but we still have to go and make plays,” Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller said. “We didn’t do that tonight.”
The team rebounded in a big way Saturday, posting seven total runs in their games against Troy and Tulsa, respectively.
Miller pitched a three hit shutout in the opening game, while getting solid run support from Blair Geddings, Lindsey Hunley and Courtney Bures, who all crossed the plate for the home team.
In the late game, Massey returned to her normal domination, allowing two runs but notching eight strikeouts in a complete game victory over Tulsa.
McDonald led the game with her two hits and two RBI, while Callye Williams also batted in a run for the cause.
The team sent five players to the All-Tournament squad, including McDonald, who earned tournament MVP honors with her team-pacing five RBI.
“Overall, I was pleased with the way we played,” Miller said. “I thought we were tentative at the plate at times, but we took advantage of our opportunities. We still have some work to do defensively, but I thought we were focused.”