Baton Rouge, La. - In a stark contrast from Friday’s game where 17 total runs were scored, runs came at a premium Saturday afternoon at Tiger Park, as Mississippi State fell to LSU by a 3-1 margin. The loss made MSU 17-11 overall and 3-6 inside the Southeastern Conference, while the host Tigers improved to 18-8 (3-1 SEC) on the year.
“LSU was able to get some timely hits,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We out-hit them, 8-5, but they were more efficient with their offense. The bottom line was that they were able to string a few hits together in the third inning.”
Starkville’s team recorded three more hits than the Tigers, but left 10 Bulldogs on base compared to the LSU’s four. Senior catcher Ka’ili Smith and junior left fielder Jessica Cooley led the Bully bats by going 2-for-3 each. Also collecting hits for the Maroon and White were sophomores Sam Lenahan (1-for-3), Heidi Shape (1-for-4) and Jessica Offutt (1-for-3), as well as junior first baseman Shelby Fisher (1-for-4).
Junior left-handed pitcher Stephanie Becker pitched another complete game for MSU, but fell to 9-4 on the season after surrendering three runs on five hits and a walk. The Chicago southpaw struck out six, but was out-dueled by LSU’s Brittany Mack (8-4), who picked up the win after fanning 10 Bulldog batters and giving up just one run on eight hits over seven full frames.
For the second-consecutive day, the Bulldogs scored in the first inning. Smith led off the game by pinching a single through the left side of the infield for the game’s first base knock. Fisher moved her teammate over to second when she drove it on the ground through the right side of the Tigers’ infield. With two on and no outs, senior designated player Brittany Bell pushed them over a base with a sacrifice bunt to the third baseman. That brought up Lenahan, who just like Friday night drove in a run with a first-inning RBI single up the middle. Mack gave up another one-bagger in the inning to load the bases, but was able to get out of the jam with her first two strikeouts of the day.
After scoring eight runs in the third inning Friday, the Tigers responded yet again in the third frame, starting with catcher Lauren Houston getting hit by a pitch. After Becker forced nine-hole hitter Heidi Pizer to flyout to left, right fielder Ashley Applegate singled up the middle on a full count to put runners in scoring position. Baton Rouge native Jacee Blades loaded the bases for LSU with a bunt down the first-base line. The Purple and Gold would take the lead for the first time Saturday when a passed ball allowed Houston to score and Applegate and Blades to advance. The Tigers had two in scoring position for Alison Falcon, who drove a ball deep down the left-field line. Cooley extended her body for a diving catch, but the ball missed the mitt by inches as Falcon notched a bases-clearing double for a 3-1 home lead.
The Bulldogs put the tying run at the plate in the top of the fourth, fifth and sixth, but couldn’t even the score. State’s best opportunity to even it up came in the top of the sixth, when MSU had the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs. Offutt extended her career best and current team-high hitting streak to seven games with an infield single. Smith then reached for the third time on St. Patrick’s Day with a 2-2 base on balls. Two Bulldog runners stood on the bags as Fisher stepped to the dish as the potential fourth run for the Maroon and White. After falling behind 1-2, Fisher battled Mack with three-straight foul balls. The junior eventually succumbed to the All-American pitcher with a flyout to Applegate in right, ending the threat for the visitors.
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