As Sunday’s rain washed away the weekend’s heat, the Mississippi State softball team’s chance at a sixth seed in the SEC tournament likewise went down the drain.
After taking the first two games of the series against the 17th-ranked Florida Gators, the Bulldogs were a win and an LSU sweep of the Gators away from moving ahead of Florida in the conference standings. But after an inning and a half of sloppy play in steady rain, the umpires called the series finale a rainout with the Gators leading 4-0.
Saturday’s slate of games saw the Lady Dawgs dominate the Gators, scoring 16 runs while holding Florida to nine on the day.
Kate Jaspers paced the squad in game one, going 3-3 with three RBIs as the Dawgs topped the Gators 7-4. Melissa Massey worked the Gators over from the pitching circle, allowing three earned runs in her five innings of work before handing the ball over to Stephanie Comeaux for the save.
In game two, after a sacrifice fly by Blair Brown in the first, the Gators came back to score two in their half of the third. That meager lead would not last long.
The Bulldog lineup caught fire in the bottom of the third, reeling off eight runs on seven hits.
Catcher Jennifer Waterman and shortstop Callye Williams both knocked in two in the inning as the Lady Dawgs went up for good and won 9-5. Freshman Kelli Miller got the win with her complete game, six-strikeout performance.
“We really came out relaxed,” said senior Blair Brown. “They took two of three from us last year, so there was definitely a revenge factor, but it was most of all just great to finish on a good note. It’s always nice to get a win going into the SEC Tournament to build a little momentum.”
The series victory was the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs, who will finish the SEC season one game under .500. Senior All-American Iyhia McMichael credits the season turnaround to a sense of pride.
“There are a lot of seniors on this team, and we really wanted to finish well. Once you’ve hit bottom, there’s no where to go but up.”
Head coach Jay Miller, in his second year at the helm of the Bulldogs, says he is pleased with the way the program has come together this year, especially at the plate.
“Well, we won five SEC series this season, and last year we won two,” Miller said. “So that’s a big step for our program. We’ve been able to settle into a lineup and get comfortable, and build some confidence. I think we’ve proven to ourselves that we can play with any team in the country, even in the losses we’ve had.”
The team will finish its regular season schedule with a home and home series against the University of Alabama-Birmingham. State visits UAB tonight, then hosts the Blazers Wednesday before hosting Georgia Tech May 8.
The Bulldogs are locked into the seventh seed for the SEC Tournament and will play either Georgia or Tennessee in the opening round in Tuscaloosa.
However, Brown says there is no sense of concern from the Bulldog locker room, but rather one of sentimentality.
“For the seniors, this is it. We’re just trying to enjoy every last second of it-every at bat, every memory, We don’t want to take any of it for granted.”