It is not often that great success is achieved on the first try; however, this was exactly the case in Starkville on Sunday afternoon as freshman pitcher Kylie Vry threw a no-hitter for the Lady Dawgs in her first career start.
Vry’s game summed up the weekend for the Dawgs as they went 4-0 and won the games by a combined score of 23-2.
The no-hitter was the first for the Bulldogs since 2006. Vry said a very solid defense helped lead the way for her perfect game.
“They were hitting the ball off of me a lot, but my team really backed me up today,” she said. “They did a great job.”
Along with great play in the field, the Dawgs also showed their ability to put points on the board as they pushed across five runs against the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin University. Leading the offensive attack was tournament MVP Brittany Bell, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs scored on the afternoon. The Dawgs showed some muscle as well, hitting two balls out of the yard off the bats of Ka’ili Smith and Brittany Bell.
Bell said the long offseason preparation paid off for everyone, and especially herself.
“I’ve been out there going hard every day just trying to get that in game mind set,” she said. “It was a good start. The first game was a little shaky until I got in the groove.”
The title game of the Bulldog Round Robin pitted the Dawgs against the UAB Blazers on Sunday night. The Blazers came in with a record of 2-1 after losing to the Bulldogs earlier in the tournament. Misty Flesher, who had previously bested the Blazers on Saturday in a 4-0 decision, again took the mound. Flesher once again did not disappoint as she pitched five strong innings giving up only two runs. The Bulldog offense picked up where it left off, scoring six runs on 11 hits. Four different Dawgs had multiple hits on the evening, leading to MSU claiming the Bulldog Round Robin trophy Sunday.
MSU had hot bats, but pitching is a hot topic with head coach Jay Miller, who said he was impressed with his rotation.
“I thought we got off to a good start,” he said. “I was really pleased with our pitching staff. Obviously, Kylie Vry throwing a no-hitter in her first start, it doesn’t get much better than that. Becker came in and threw two great games for us, Lindsey threw well for us yesterday and Misty threw well both days.”
The staff combined to give up only two earned runs in 26 innings. The hitting and defense was certainly steady, but Miller said he is still looking to improve in both facets of the game.
“We hit the ball well at times and made some hard outs but I think we are a better hitting team than we showed this weekend,” he said. “I thought we battled well but we need to tighten up a little defensively.”
With a 4-0 record and one trophy already in hand, the Dawgs are off to a hot start. The players believe it is a great time to be a fan of Bulldog softball, as the young team has very high expectations for this season.
Vry said there is a strong belief among the team they can go as far as they want to this season.
“We’re looking to go all the way, and win everything from the SEC Championship to the College World Series,” she said.