The Mississippi State softball team (30-23, 10-13 SEC) stranded a season-high 14 runners and committed four errors as 15th-ranked Alabama (41-13, 20-4) completed a sweep of the homestanding Bulldogs with an 8-2 victory Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field. Shortstop Jennifer Jessup plated a run on a 2-for-4 day at the plate to spark the Bulldog hitting, with Kellie Wilkerson adding a multi-hit performance of her own, tallying a 2-for-3 showing with a walk. Jennifer Waterman (1-for-2) also plated an RBI on a fielder’s choice hit in the seventh. Ashley Courtney hit in a pair of runners on a 2-for-5 tally to pace the Crimson Tide.
Starter Melissa Massey surrendered a pair of unearned runs and walked seven in three and one-thirds innings of work to saddle the loss for the Bulldogs, with Kasey Whitehead and Wilkerson also making appearances. Alabama starter Jennifer Wright struck out six and allowed one unearned run in three and two-thirds innings before giving way to reliever Shelley Laird with two outs in the fourth. Laird (23-7) scattered four hits and struck out four over the remainder of the contest to steal the victory for Alabama.
The offensive showing marked the 13th time this season that State had collected 10 or more hits, but just the second loss for the Bulldogs when accomplishing that feat. Of State’s 14 stranded runners, 10 were in scoring position at the time. The Maroon and White left the bases loaded three times in the ball game.
After nothing doing for Alabama in the first, State put together a scoring threat in its half of the opening inning, getting a pair of runners into scoring position with two outs. However, Wright regained her composure, inducing Lindsay Nelson into an infield groundout to exit the inning. Courtney’s RBI double to left center in the third gave Alabama a 1-0 lead, but the Crimson Tide extended the lead out to 2-0 on Jackie Wilkins’ RBI single in the fourth.
Jessup’s hard hit in the fourth gave State its first run of the game, but Alabama took advantage of a myriad of Maroon and White miscues in the fifth to plate four runs and take a 6-1 lead into the sixth. Alabama loaded the bases with its first three at-bats of the inning, then used two errors from the left side of the Mississippi State infield and three dropped balls on plays at the plate to open the floodgates.
State rallied in the seventh, loading the bases with its first three at-bats before getting a run across on Waterman’s fielder’s choice. However, Laird regained her composure and retired the next two batters to force State into leaving the bases juiced for the third time in the contest. Mississippi State will be back in action on Wednesday when the Bulldogs close out their six-game homestand by hosting Jacksonville State in a 5 p.m. contest at the Mississippi State Softball Field. State will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for a crucial three-game set with the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks at Lady ‘Back Field.