In a three game series this past Saturday and Sunday the softball Bulldogs went two-for-three against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
After Saturday’s doubleheader the Bulldogs were split with the Gamecocks, capturing the first game but losing the second. The final game and overall series went to the Bulldogs after a 10-2 defeat over South Carolina.
In game one, the Gamecocks held MSU scoreless until the fifth inning when freshman Ka’ili Smith hit her first career home run and batted in three other runners in front of the sixth-largest crowd in Mississippi State softball history.
“Ka’ili has been hitting them like that all year in practice. I’ve been waiting for her to do that in a game,” Bulldog head coach Jay Miller said. “It was nice to see the way she adjusted after a bad at-bat her previous time at the plate.”
In the top of the sixth inning, the Dawgs gave up a run to South Carolina when USC’s Lindsey Walker reached on a fielder’s choice and gave teammate Kristen Stubblefield the opportunity to score.
The second home run of the game went to the Gamecock’s first baseman Laura Mendes. Mendes homered to right field in the seventh inning, but it was not enough to deliver USC with a win. Adele Voigt struck out the next round, and the Bulldogs won 4-2.
Later that afternoon the Bulldogs and Gamecocks held each other scoreless until the fourth inning when South Carolina pulled ahead. Voigt walked after receiving four balls and stole second off of a pop fly to the shortstop by Stubblefield. Voigt scored the next pitch from Jill Semento’s single to left field. Semento earned the RBI.
In the sixth inning, Mendes doubled to right center and advanced to third when Voigt singled to second base. The next round Mendes scored off of Stubblefield’s single to left center. The Bulldogs remained scoreless throughout the sixth and seventh innings, and South Carolina took the game 0-2.
Despite the loss Saturday, freshman pitcher Lindsey Dunlap said she feels her team struggled very llittle between the two games. “No one really struggled in any areas,” she said. “If I threw a bad pitch or one person had a bad bat, there was always somebody behind to pick up the slack.”
In a rubber game on Sunday, the Bulldogs took the series from South Carolina in a 10-2 victory.
The Bulldog offense dominated in the sixth inning. Junior Chelsea Bramlett delivered two RBIs when she singled through the left side. Gates, senior Sammie Joe Bailey and sophomore Ali Bainbridge each drove in an RBI bringing the grand total to five runs.
“We did very good. We finally camp out in the last game,” Bramlett said.