STARKVILLE — The No. 16 Missouri softball team scored nine unanswered runs Sunday to beat Mississippi State 9-2 and sweep their Southeastern Conference weekend series at Nusz Park.
MSU (25-27, 3-18 SEC) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to three-straight walks. Junior Katie Anne Bailey’s one-out single through the right side of the infield made it 1-0. Junior Amanda Ivy added a sacrifice fly to right field..
But Missouri (37-12, 12-9) responded with two solo home runs in the fourth to tie the game at 2. Missouri took the lead in the fifth with a two-out single.
A two-run single with two outs in the sixth extended Missouri’s lead to 5-2 before a four-run seventh, capped by a three-run home run, accounted for the final margin.
MSU had runners on throughout the game but it had only four hits and couldn’t capitalize. It stranded 12 runners and failed to take advantage of eight walks.
Junior Mackenzie Toler tied a career high for hits by going 3-for-4.
“We started strong, but in the end we weren’t able to come through in some moments that would’ve allowed us to tack on some more runs,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We’ll focus on finals this week and getting better on the field so we’re ready to get after it next weekend.”
Amanda Sanchez, Chloe Rathburn, and Kirsten Mack had three hits for Missouri, which had 15 hits against four pitchers.
Paige Lowary (20-6) threw six innings in relief to get the win. She allowed no runs, four hits, and six walks.
Junior Alexis Silkwood (4-11) suffered the loss. She surrendered four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
MSU will play this weekend at No. 11 Kentucky. The three-game SEC series will begin at 5 p.m. Friday.
n Osias, Ole Miss split doubleheader against Georgia: At Athens, Georgia, the Rebels earned the program’s first win against the Bulldogs since 2003 with a 1-0 win and a 10-3 loss Sunday at Jack Turner Stadium.
The weather finally cooperated enough allowing the SEC series to be completed, as the two teams picked up from Saturday’s suspended Game 2 before playing the finale.
Ole Miss’ win in the first game Sunday was its first against Georgia since April 13, 2003, and the first win in Athens since April 21, 2002. The victory was the fifth overall for the program in Athens, snapping a 32-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
The victory also put the Rebels (36-17, 10-11) at double-digit road wins with 10 on the year, becoming the first team in school history to reach the 10-win mark in road matchups.
Senior Madi Osias pitched her second-straight complete-game shutout in the first game, while the Rebels’ early lead through three and a half wasn’t enough as No. 14 Georgia battled back in the rubber match.
Osias was dominant in her 22nd start of her senior campaign, picking up her 19th victory. She shut down the nation’s second-best offense by striking out eight. It was the fourth time this season she struck out eight or more.
The senior recorded at least one strikeout to six of the nine hitters in the Georgia lineup, and worked her way out of four jams with a punch out, including the last frame where she retired the Bulldogs’ slugger Alex Hugo to preserve the win. It was Osias’ seventh complete game — third solo shutout — as she and the defense shut out the Bulldogs for the first time this season.
Both sides tallied five hits, but it was the Rebels’ fourth that made the difference in the runs column. After Miranda Strother led off with a single and then got caught stealing at third, Courtney Syrett walked and Sarah Van Schaik singled through the left side. Kylan Becker then delivered the only RBI of the contest off a double into shallow right center that plated Syrett, putting the Rebels on top 1-0 in a score that would hold for the duration.
The freshman finished 2-for-3 at the plate with the game winner, as Strother, Ashton Lampton and Van Schaik all added one hit each.
In the nightcap, Georgia (39-14, 11-10) rallied from a 3-0 deficit by scoring eight runs on eight hits in the fourth.
Kayla Landwehrmier allowed four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings. Elisha Jahnke completed a third of a frame and allowed four runs on four hits. Krista Jacobs worked the final 2 1/3 and gave up two runs on three hits.
Ole Miss will play Louisiana Tech at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Ruston, Louisiana.
n Alabama beats South Carolina in rain-shortened game: at Columbia, South Carolina, the Crimson Tide outlasted numerous weather delays Sunday to beat the Gamecocks 5-1 in five innings in the rubber match of their SEC weekend series.
Alabama (43-10, 14-7) scored five unanswered runs before South Carolina (34-18, 6-15) scored in the third, but the cushion proved enough as weather ended the game prematurely.
Haylie McCleney went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, putting her two hits shy of 300 career hits. Marisa Runyon went 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Peyton Grantham and Kallie Case drove in the Crimson Tide’s remaining two runs.
Starter Sydney Littlejohn (21-4) threw four innings and allowed one run on four hits. Alexis Osorio entered in relief and pitched one inning before the game was called.
South Carolina’s Jessica Elliott (17-6) took her second loss of the weekend, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits in three innings.
Weather caused of pair of early delays, pushing the start time back 10 minutes and then forcing another 30-minute delay in the bottom of the first. Upon resumption, a lineout quickly ended the first inning and Alabama started strongly in the top of the second, loading the bases with nobody out. Grantham pulled an RBI single through the left side to move everyone up 60 feet and put Alabama ahead 1-0 before Case followed with a fielder’s choice to make it 2-0. McCleney drove both runners home with a two-run double to the wall in left center to make it 4-0.
Alabama kept things going in the top of the third as Sydney Booker led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error to immediately put a runner in scoring position. Runyon lifted a single into right field, falling just fair down the line to score Booker from second and make it 5-0.
South Carolina started off the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles and then both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. The runner at third tagged up on a line drive to center field, scoring on the sacrifice fly to make it a 5-1 game. Later with two on and two out, McCleney made a running catch on the warning track to rob a potential double and end the inning.
Alabama will play host to Georgia in a three-game series that will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
n Southern Mississippi falls to Louisiana Tech: At Ruston, Louisiana, the Golden Eagles (25-26, 11-10 Conference USA) in their loss to the Lady Techsters (29-18, 10-8) in the final game of their C-USA weekend series.
A three-run third inning helped Louisiana Tech win the series, even though Southern Miss had a 6-5 edge in hits.
Former New Hope High School standout Lauren Holifield was 1-for-3 for Southern Miss. Katie Cleary, Michelle Stringer, Bailey Stokes, Kaelyn Christofferson, and Arielle Pollock also had hits. Holifield and Cleary also walked. Stringer and Stokes scored runs.
Samantha Robles and Danielle Block combined for the complete game. Robles started and was charged with the loss. She worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits with three walks and a strikeout. Block allowed one hit in 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball. She walked one and struck out one.
n On Saturday, Holifield hit two home runs to lift Southern Miss to a split of its doubleheader against Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss lost the first game 7-2 and won the nightcap 6-1.
Holifield went 4-for-8 with two home runs, three runs scored, and a walk. Holifield has 11 home runs, which ties her with Megan Hill (2009 and 2010) and Jen Ford (1999) for fifth most in a season in school history. It is the 11th time in school history a player has recorded double-digit home runs in a season.
Tori Dew also had four hits, while Sarah Evans added three hits. Michelle Stringer, Kaelyn Christofferson, Katie Cleary, and Arielle Pollock also had two hits. Both of Dew’s hits were doubles, giving the junior 14 on the season, and tying her for seventh in Southern Miss single-season history in the category.
Robles and Jillian Johnson pitched in Game 1, while Block and Robles threw in Game 2.
Robles started the first game. The redshirt sophomore worked the first 3 2/3 innings, scattering six hits and allowing five runs with three walks and two strikeouts. She gave way to Johnson, who pitched the final 2 1/3 innings.
In Game 2, Block threw six innings. She allowed one run on six hits with four walks and a strikeout. Robles pitched a perfect seventh with a strikeout.
Southern Miss will play Mississippi Valley State at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Itta Bena.
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