The Mississippi State softball Bulldogs can consider their weekend trip to Las Vegas a success in certain areas. In others, the tournament dealt the Bulldogs hands of disappointment when they least expected it.
The Bulldogs went 3-2 over the weekend in the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, improving their season record to 7-3.
Thursday night, MSU topped the BYU Cougars 1-0.
Freshman infielder Jessie Bailey drove in State’s only run of the ballgame as she hit a double in the sixth inning, knocking in sophomore pinch runner Rachel Hurley.
Senior ace Kelli Miller earned the win in the contest, improving to 4-0 after allowing nine hits over her six innings of work. Senior Sara Hickerson came on to finish the game in the seventh inning, earning her second save of the year.
Over Friday and Saturday, Mississippi State earned split decisions in each of the days’ pairs of games.
In Friday’s first contest, MSU shocked the Las Vegas crowd by stifling No. 10 California in six innings by a 9-0 score.
The win was MSU’s first run-rule victory over a ranked opponent since the Dawgs toppled No. 22 Georgia Tech 10-2 in six innings in May 2004.
Seniors Stephanie Comeaux and Sara Hickerson teamed to hold the Golden Bears to only one hit on the game.
Comeaux earned the win through her four innings of work. Hickerson closed out the game, pitching throughout the final two innings.
Friday night’s contest brought disappointment, though, as MSU dropped a 2-1 decision to the Cal-Davis Aggies, who no-hit State in the process.
Kelli Miller allowed her first run in nearly 25 innings in the second inning of the Cal-Davis contest when she allowed a two-run homerun to the Aggies, which would prove to be enough to hand Miller and the rest of the Bulldog squad their first loss of the tournament.
Freshman infielder Chelsea Bramlett was the only Bulldog to score in the game, crossing the plate in the seventh inning on a wild pitch after reaching on an error.
MSU left 11 runners stranded on base in the game, including three bases-loaded situations.
Saturday morning the Bulldogs fell to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 3-2.
The two squads matched each other in hitting, with eight apiece, but State out-errored the Warriors 3-1. Another weekend two-run homerun, however, proved to be the Bulldogs’ demise, as the Warriors cranked one off Bulldog hurler Sara Hickerson in the seventh inning to win the game.
State’s final game of the Classic pitted it against the Aggies of Utah State.
The Bulldogs closed out their Las Vegas retreat by doubling-up Utah State 6-3 before packing up and heading home.
MSU will continue its successful season Wednesday night as they will host in-state rival Mississippi Valley State, over whom MSU holds a 7-0 record throughout the history of Bulldog softball.