The Mississippi State University softball team found itself in a lengthy airport layover Wednesday afternoon trying to get from Columbus, S.C., to Baton Rouge, La.
While no one likely will write a paper entitled “How I spent my spring break” about this odyssey, the Bulldogs were determined to make the most of their spare time.
“There is always something going on with this team,” MSU sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape said. “We are a lot of things, but bored is never one of them. Pretty much on these road trips, we eat a lot. There is a big game of Family Feud going on at this moment.”
MSU is enjoying life again. It bounced back from losing two of three games to the University of Georgia on Saturday and Sunday to sweep a doubleheader against the University of South Carolina on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C. After the layover and another flight, the Bulldogs will be in Baton Rouge, La., for a weekend series against LSU.
“I could tell the girls were really chomping at the bit to get back out there (after Sunday’s 5-0 loss to No. 8 Georgia),” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We remind the girls about how baseball is a game of failure. Pros are paid millions if they hit the ball three times out of 10 at-bats. I never question the resiliency of this team. I really thought we would come out ready to have a great afternoon.”
MSU scored 19 runs on 17 hits to take 10-6 and 9-0 victories. The flurry of offense came after back-to-back home shutouts against Georgia.
“We came out with a good mind-set,” Shape said. “There was a lot of disappointment Sunday night because we felt we should have played a lot better in the last two games against Georgia. We had a good game (a 5-3 win Friday night) and then struggled after that.
“Tuesday was really good for us. We had a lot of players step up, and I think a lot of players will now carry some new confidence into the weekend.”
As the team’s confidence mounts, Stuedeman also is pleased that the Bulldogs are becoming closer as a team.
“We have a couple of different players who are in charge of each SEC series,” Stuedeman said. “They are in charge of finding us fun, team-boding activities. It is another way in which players take ownership of the team. For the Georgia series, we got together as a team and made tie-dyed T-shirts.
“Some of the things that do not look like fun turn out to the best activities. It is a challenge to be on the road for a large stretch like this. The challenge is to find fun things to do. Fortunately, our players are really good at that.”
The sweep helped MSU improve to 17-9 and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference. The start is MSU’s best through 26 games since 2008. The Bulldogs also have won six games by the run-rule this season. Last year, they did it four times.
Junior left fielder Jessica Cooley hit her SEC-best ninth home run, while Kylie Vry threw a two-hit shutout in the mercy-rule win in game two. It was MSU’s first SEC road shutout since a 1-0 victory at South Carolina in 2008. The Bulldogs have thrown 13 complete games in 26 games. Last season, the staff had 12 complete games.
“We have five pitches that we have confidence in,” Stuedeman said. “In our league, we play three-game weekend series. That means you have to have pitching depth. You have to be able to give teams different looks. Kylie does bring a lot to the table, and she pitched well Tuesday afternoon.
“However, we have confidence in each of our pitchers. If you pitch it well, you have a chance to win every time you play. We feel like each of our pitchers can step into the circle and get outs against SEC competition. It is exciting when you know you have options.”
LSU is 16-8 and 1-1 in the SEC. Ranked No. 22 in the preseason, the Tigers slipped from the national rankings. With the ship righted, LSU ran its win streak to six before falling in game two of a doubleheader against Auburn on Wednesday.
“We are always ready to play,” Shape said. “It is strange because Tuesday we wanted to come out and play again because we were real disappointed in our effort against Georgia. Now, we want to play again because we have a lot of confidence at the plate. We hope to keep that up.”
The Bulldogs and Tigers will meet at 6 p.m. Friday, at 4 p.m. Saturday, and at 1 p.m. Sunday. MSU will try to extend its five-game road win streak, its best stretch since 2001.
Stuedeman is happy she has plenty of pitching options to get MSU through the series. Her players are happy to have team-bonding options.
“It is a probably a movie night, if we ever get out of the airport,” Shape said. “Whatever it is, we will do it as a team. There is no other way to be successful.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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