The Bulldog softball team went 2-2 on the weekend at the Mercer Wingate Inn Classic. The team dropped its first two games of the young season to Western Kentucky and picked up wins against Austin Peay and Mercer, moving to 13-2 on the year.Despite the losses, MSU head coach Jay Miller liked what he saw out of his team, especially in its pitching.
“I was pleased overall with the weekend. I think we’re making some progress,” Miller said. “We played outstanding defensively all weekend, and that will help us as we get ready for conference play.”
“I thought we pitched real well, especially Misty Flesher,” he said. “She threw tremendously for us all weekend.”
After Friday’s games were rained out, Saturday morning found Mississippi State and Western Kentucky in a pitchers’ duel. Jennifer Kempf took the pitcher’s circle for the Hilltoppers, holding State scoreless through six innings. The Bulldogs finally broke through in the final frame and plated a run, but it wasn’t enough. WKU centerfielder Sam Cronk provided all the offense the Hilltoppers would need, blasting a two-run shot in the second inning off of MSU starter Misty Flesher. Flesher dropped to 4-1 on the season, going the distance in the loss.
“We had numerous opportunities. We left a lot of runners on base,” Miller said. “The thing we really didn’t do is step up in crunch time and get the big hit.”
The Bulldogs bounced back that evening and defeated Austin Peay by a 12-4 score. Junior Kelsey Nurnberg was credited with her seventh win of the season. State built a 5-0 lead through three innings, before APSU plated three in the top of the fifth. MSU answered with four more in the home half of the fifth. The Lady Governors scored one more in the top of the sixth and didn’t get another opportunity to bat as State ended the game in the sixth by plating three to go up eight runs.
State’s offensive charge was led by the 5-9 hitters in the lineup. The slots went 8-for-17 and accounted for eight of the team’s 10 RBIs. Freshman Jessie Spain led the team with three RBIs, despite having only one plate appearance. That appearance came in the bottom of the sixth, when she ended the game on a base-clearing double.
Sunday gave the Bulldogs another shot at the Hilltoppers. However, the outcome was similar, and State dropped its second game of the year. A rocky third inning by Kelsey Nurnberg opened the door for four WKU runs. Misty Flesher came in at that point and held the Hilltoppers scoreless for the rest of the game, but those four runs proved to be enough.
State plated two in the sixth inning on a Hayle Guess home run before Ryan Rogge came in to pitch for WKU and shut the door.
The final game of the weekend matched State against host team Mercer. Mercer jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second frame before Elizabeth Woolven gave way to Nurnberg. Nurnberg kept the Bears in check until the sixth, when Flesher came in and closed out the game.
Hayle Guess and Ali Bainbridge hit back-to-back homeruns in the fourth inning, and Brittany Bell scored in the sixth on a Courtney Bures single to tie the game at three runs a piece. Gina McCloud and Chelsea Bramlett each drove in a run in the top of the seventh, which proved to be enough to earn State the win.