Mississippi State (1-0) sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run fifth inning, then rallied behind a three-hit gem from starter Kasey Whitehead, as the Bulldogs opened up the 2002 campaign with a bang on an 8-1 upset victory over 17th-ranked Southwest Texas State (1-5) Friday morning at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, Aiz. Iyhia McMichael recorded a pair of hits on a three-RBI performance for the Bulldogs, teaming up with Kate Jaspers (2-3, RBI) for four of Mississippi StateOs nine hits.
Whitehead (1-0) recorded a career-high six strikeouts over a complete game, allowing just three hits and one earned run to nab the victory. Jennifer Waterman (1-3) also recorded a pair of RBIs for the Bulldogs.
State wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard, utlizing an RBI single by Waterman to plate McMichael with the first-inning lead before the Bobcats knotted the score back up in the top of the third on a leadoff homer by Jen Tomme.
The Bulldogs used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with the first three batters of the fifth, then got successive RBI singles from Jaspers and McMichael to run out to a two-run lead. Waterman drew a bases loaded walk with the next at-bat to forge a 4-1 lead for the Bulldogs and chase all-American pitcher Jessica Chase (0-1) from the Southwest Texas State circle.
Relief pitcher Nicole Neuerburg inherited a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fifth, but nearly got the Bobcats out of the inning, retiring the first two batters she faced before surrendering consecutive walks that dug the hole deeper. State got a leadoff double from Kellie Wilkerson in the sixth, then put two runners aboard on a hit batsman, before McMichael finished the onslaught with a two-run double to left field.