USA vs. MSU Box Score

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MOBILE, Ala. – A six-run seventh inning propelled Mississippi State past the University of South Alabama softball team, 7-2 Thursday night in the Jaguars’ 2012 season opener and game one of the Mardi Gras Invitational at Jaguar Field.

With the win, MSU advances to 1-0, while the USA falls to 0-1 on the young season. Both the Bulldogs’ Stephanie Becker and the Jags’ Hannah Campbell (Satsuma, Ala.) went the distance in the circle on the night, but Becker came out with her first win of the season.

“We didn’t execute and we know that,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “That’s what we just talked about. We know we’re better than what we just did out there. We won six of the seven innings, and then didn’t finish at the end.”

In the top of the first, Campbell got in trouble early after walking Ka’ili Smith, who then stole second and advanced to third on a South Alabama error.  The sophomore Jaguar pitcher worked her way out of the jam, striking out the next two batters and recording the final out of the inning came when Heidi Shape grounded out to third.

In bottom half of the inning, Brittany Fowler (Jacksonville, Fla.), who led the Jaguars with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, singled and advanced to second on a fielding error by Shape in the bottom of the first. With one out, Haley Hopkins (Gulf Shores, Ala.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Fowler and putting South Alabama on the on the board, 1-0.

After Campbell escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third, Fowler led off the inning and put the Jags up 2-0 in the bottom half of the inning when she drove a 3-2 pitch deep over the left field wall.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Mississippi State’s Brittany Bell singled to right field. Ashley Phillips, who came in to pinch run for Bell, then stole second and reached third on a throwing error by South Alabama short stop Kaitlyn Griffith (Centre, Ala.). With two outs, Phillips stole home putting the Bulldogs on the board.  On the play that scored Phillips, USA appeared to have caught Phillips in a run-down, but the Bulldog freshman escaped the tag from Jaguar third baseman Christen Crocker (Pelham, Ala.).  

USA had opportunities to build on its lead in both the fifth and sixth innings as the Jaguars placed a pair of runners on base with less than two outs in each inning, but Becker was able to battle out of jams.

The Jags held on to the one-run lead until the seventh inning when MSU plated six. With two out and two on, Campbell got ahead of Swayze Hollenhead, but on a 1-2 pitch, the sophomore came to far inside and hit Hollenhead, loading the bases and setting up Bell for a grand slam putting MSU up 5-2.  

“We were 1-2 on the kid that we hit to load the bases,” Clark said. “That was our out. Then, we missed a spot with a pitch that’s supposed to be down and in.  She hits it out and that’s the grand slam. You’ve got to give Mississippi State credit. They never gave up, because we were playing a pretty good game. We had some mistakes, but each inning, we were able to recover and come back from them. Early in the game, we just didn’t let those mistakes get away from us. We know we’ve got to execute.”

The Bulldogs added two more runs in the seventh after Erin Nesbit singled up the middle and Jessica Cooley lined a home run over the center field wall to seal the 7-2 win for Mississippi State.

South Alabama returns to action Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Memphis in game five of the Mardi Gras Invitational.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).