Iyhia McMichael and Kellie Wilkerson both hit homers and Mississippi State (4-0) rallied behind the strong pitching of Kasey Whitehead to defeat top-ranked and defending national champion Arizona (6-1) Saturday evening at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. Whitehead (3-0) turned in her second complete game of the season in remaining undefeated. The senior from Roswell, Ga., surrendered eight hits and one earned run over seven innings of work, including four strikeouts and just one walk. McMichael turned in a 1-3 showing at the plate, including a two-run home run with the second at-bat of the first frame. Wilkerson added a 1-2 (BB) showing, including a three-run home run in the second inning, and crossed the plate three times.
The loss snapped a 32-game winning streak for Arizona which began following a 3-0 loss to No. 1 UCLA on April 8, 2001. The victory marked the first for the Bulldogs over a top 10 opponent since a 2-1, extra-inning defeat of ninth-ranked Stanford at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on March 7, 2000.
MSU reached the basepaths immediately when Wilkerson drew a leadoff walk, then trotted around the basepaths just a few minutes later when McMichael nailed a bomb over the left field fence for the 2-0 lead. State got a pair of runners on with one out in the second, then watched as Wilkerson nailed a dinger to right-centerfield for a 5-0 lead. Arizona put a pair of runners on with one out in the bottom of the inning before utilizing Jenny GladdingOs sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring home Jennie Finch from third base. McMichael nearly stifled the score, but her perfect throw to the plate was a millisecond too slow. Arizona put runners in scoring position with less than two outs in both the third and fourth innings but, both times, Whitehead kept her composure to retire the sides. State added a pair of insurance runs on three Wildcat errors in the seventh to provide the final. In the nightcap, Jennifer NelsonOs RBI single through the left side brought Brooke Best home with the winning run as the Bulldogs (4-0) completed a come-from-behind effort with a 7-6 extra-inning victory over New Mexico State Saturday evening at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.
NMSU got a pair of runners into scoring position with two outs in the third, then used a defensive error by the Bulldogs to plate a pair of runs and a 2-0 lead. With one out showing in the bottom of the frame; however, State struck back after a one-out walk by Blaire Brown and a sac bunt by Jennifer Nelson set the stage for WilkersonOs second blast of the day, this time an opposite field shot that cleared the fence by some 30 feet. NMSU regained the lead in the fourth, putting runners on the corners with one out, then plated both on a Shayne Gipson two-out triple. State cut the lead to one in the fourth on an RBI single by Krystal Tillman, then tied it up for the second time in the seventh on an RBI single by Wilkerson.
NMSU took the lead for the third time in the top of the eighth on a two-run homer by Melanie Briggs, but Mississippi State responded with a pair of runs to tie it up for the third time in the bottom of the frame before WilkersonOs dramatics.
State will return to action on Wednesday when they return home to host Belmont in a doubleheader at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.