April 13, 2008
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| Box Score |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Mississippi State scored four runs in the second and never looked back, defeating South Carolina, 9-1, in six innings to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Beckham Field. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs move to 35-15 on the season and 9-10 in Southeastern Conference play. The Gamecocks fall to 20-18 overall and 7-10 in league action.
State sent nine batters to the plate in the second, plating four runs on a passed ball and a bases-loaded double by Ali Bainbridge. Hayle Guess led off the frame with a single, while Jessie Bailey followed with her infield hit. A sacrifice bunt by Courtney Nesbit moved the runners into scoring position, and Guess scored on the passed ball. Brittany Bell fouled out, bringing up No. 9 hitter Nakita Boyce with two down. Gamecock starter Melissa Hendon hit her with the 1-0 pitch before walking speedy leadoff hitter Chelsea Bramlett ahead of Bainbridge. With an 0-2 count, Bainbridge doubled over Adele Voigt’s head in left, clearing the bases. Courtney Bures singled to put runners on the corners, but she would be called out for leaving first base early to get Carolina out of the inning. The Bulldogs added a run in the third when Sammie Jo Bailey led off the inning with a homer over the left-field wall.
The Gamecocks got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases on consecutive singles by Voigt, Laura Mendes and Jill Semento. Voigt scored on Jessica Josker’s fielder’s choice, cutting the lead to 5-1.
The Maroon and White padded the lead in the fifth with two more runs. Bures had a leadoff single before Sammie Jo Bailey followed with another. Guess moved the runners up with a groundout before Jessie Bailey hit a grounder toward shortstop. Becky Martinez, making her first career start at short, booted the ball, allowing both Bures and the elder Bailey to score.
The sixth saw the Dogs tack on two more runs, this time off reliever Krystle Robinson. Boyce reached on an error, followed by a Bramlett bunt single. The duo completed a double steal to move into scoring position for Bures, who drove them home with her one-out hit.
Hendon (8-10) picked up the loss, allowing seven runs, six earned, on nine hits and a walk while sitting down four in five innings. Misty Flesher (15-7) got the win, scattering four hits and one earned run over six innings. She struck out seven.
Carolina hits the road next weekend to face No. 2/3 Alabama in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa.
