March 25, 2006
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A third inning RBI single by No. 22 Mississippi State’s Courtney Bures, led the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory over South Carolina in game two of the Saturday doubleheader. With the loss, USC fell to 21-12 overall and 1-7 in the SEC, while MSU is now 27-7 and 4-1 in the conference. The sweep clinched the series for the Bulldogs, their first ever against the Gamecocks.
Ashton Payne tagged up from second on a sacrifice fly by Ashley Smith in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead and scored the Gamecocks lone run of the game. USC managed three hits off of Ragan Blake (14-3). Payne went 2-for-3 and Jessica Josker accounted for the other hit, a single in the first. The hit was Josker’s 100th of her career. After the third inning, Blake held USC hitless for four straight innings.
State tied the game 1-1 in the second inning after Sara Hickerson led off with a triple and her pinch runner Rachel Hurley scored on a fielder’s choice. The Bulldogs took the lead in the third with the RBI single by Bures.
Jessica Barnes (3-4) gave up the two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings pitched and held MSU hitless in the last two innings of the game.
South Carolina is now 1-5 against ranked teams this season. The three-game series will conclude Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. (ET).
