STARKVILLE — A three-run first inning was too much for the Mississippi State softball team to overcome Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to Alabama-Birmingham at Nusz Park.
The loss dropped the Bulldogs (20-13) to 19-8 in non-conference matchups.
Junior Katie Anne Bailey reached base in all three at-bats and scored the first run for MSU. With her ninth multi-hit game, Bailey extended her team-leading counts in hits (36) and RBIs (21).
“We had the tying run up to bat in the bottom of the seventh and that’s where you want to be,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “You want to be in a position to tie it or win it in the bottom of the seventh and that’s where we were.”
MSU gifted UAB (13-19) with an opportunity in the top of the first, as a pair of walks allowed the visitors to load the bases with two outs. A wild pitch allowed the first run to score. A double to the wall cleared the bases to make it 3-0.
An error and two hits loaded the bases for the Blazers in the next inning and forced Stuedeman to bring in freshman Cori Cooper for junior starter Alexis Silkwood. An unassisted double play by senior shortstop Kayla Winkfield ended the scoring threat.
Hits in the first three innings gave MSU baserunners, but the Blazers kept the Bulldogs from getting anything more than baserunners. A walk and a hit gave MSU two runners with no outs in the third, but the UAB defense allowed nothing more.
Cooper had a stretch of eight-straight retired batters that spanned from the second through the fifth.
In the home half of the fifth, another walk and hit helped MSU threaten. With two outs and runners at the corners, Bailey singled to right-center field to score sophomore Carmen Carter from third. A wild pitch to the next batter plated Winkfield from third to make it a one-run game after five.
Freshman Regan Green entered in relief of Cooper in the sixth and struck out two.
UAB starter Megan Smith (3-7) picked up the win. She allowed two runs on six hits on 4 2/3 innings. She walked two and struck out two.
Silkwood (0-4) suffered the loss. She allowed three runs on one hit and two walks. She lasted only 1 1/3 innings and faced 10 batters.
MSU will play Ole Miss this weekend in a three-game Southeastern Conference series in Starkville. Game 1 will be at 6 p.m. Saturday.
n Ole Miss 5, Samford 4: At Oxford, the Rebels (26-9) hit three home runs, and Kayla Landwehrmier was solid in relief work in the circle in a come-from-behind victory against Samford on Tuesday night at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Ole Miss trailed a majority of the game, but thanks to two-run blasts in the fifth and sixth innings, coupled with Landwehrmier’s stellar pitching, came away with their 15th win at home this season.
Elisha Jahnke started and gave up four earned runs off seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Landwehrmier allowed two hits in the final 3.1 innings and gave up just two hits.
Ole Miss had a season-high three home runs, including shots from Alex Schneider, Natalie Martinez, and Courtney Syrett.
n McNeese State 6, Southern Mississippi 0: At Hattiesburg, Jamie Allred (9-1) limited the Golden Eagles (16-19) to three hits in a complete-game effort for the Cowgirls (23-6) at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
Tori Dew, Sarah Evans, and Arielle Pollock had hits for Southern Miss. Lauren Holifield and Evans drew walks.
Southern Miss will play host to Western Kentucky on Saturday.
Southern Miss’ game that was scheduled to be played today at Mississippi Valley State has been postponed due to inclement weather.
n Alabama ranked No. 6 in NFCA poll: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Crimson Tide is ranked No. 6 for the fourth-straight week in the USA Today/NFCA coaches’ poll.
Alabama also moved up one spot to No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball media poll.
Alabama is coming off a series win against then-No. 15 Missouri in Tuscaloosa that saw it bounce back from a Game 1 loss with two run-rule victories to secure the series. A matchup against top-ranked Florida awaits Alabama this weekend in Gainesville, Florida.
n In related news, Haylie McCleney was named one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS award, which celebrates senior student-athletes who use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as community leaders.
Nationwide voting begins immediately as fans are encouraged to vote on the award’s official website: www.seniorclassaward.com. Fans can vote for up to three candidates once per day on your computer or mobile device. Voting will run through May 9 and fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine a winner, which will be announced during the 2016 Women’s College World Series.
The Senior CLASS award, which stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, is awarded each year to a senior student-athlete that best exemplifies the four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
McCleney is a senior exercise science major and holds a 4.0 cumulative GPA at Alabama. She is a two-time Academic All-American and was named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I softball last season. She is just the second player in program history to earn First Team honors as both an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season, doing so as a sophomore and junior.
Charlotte Morgan (2010) and Kayla Braud (2013) won the Senior CLASS award at Alabama, while Kaila Hunt (2014) was a finalist.
Junior Colleges
n ICC’s Brown earns MACJC Player of the Week honors: At Fulton, Itawamba Community College freshman second baseman and catcher Alex Brown was named Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Player of the Week, announced by the conference Tuesday.
The Pontotoc native batted .571 (8-for-14) on the week with nine RBIs, nine runs scored, one double, one triple, and one home run in four games.
No. 8 ICC (28-5, 13-3 MACJC) will play host to Mississippi Delta C.C. at 4 p.m. today for its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Series at the ICC Softball Complex. The games can be seen on LetsGoICCTV.com.
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