The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated Georgia State softball by a final score of 16-9 from the Heck Softball Complex in Panthersville, Ga. Wednesday.
The Bulldogs had two five-run innings in the third and sixth innings to build an insurmountable lead over the Panthers despite the Panthers lofting three balls out of the park.
The first two innings of the game were scoreless before runs started being put on the board in bunches.
Up by one, freshman infielder Caroline Seitz drew a walk to load the bases for the Bulldogs.
It set up a grand slam from freshman utility player Katie Anne Bailey to increase the Mississippi State lead to five.
Georgia State answered with six in the bottom half of the inning. The first three batters of the inning, Mallory Koepke, Ashley Christy and Morgan Brown all reached base to load the bases for Taylor Anderson.
Anderson launched a grand slam to put the Panthers to within one run at 5-4.
Lauren Coleman hit a two-run home run to drive home herself and MeQuilla Franklin, who reached base on a single. Coleman’s homer gave Georgia State its first and only lead of the game at 6-5.
Eron Milton was brought in to relieve the Panthers starter Kaitlyn Medlam to start the top of the fourth, but the Bulldogs kept driving in runs.
Senior infielder Logan Foulks singled, and two batters later, redshirt senior pitcher Alison Owen helped her own cause with a double to advance Foulks to third. Offutt singled to drive home Foulks to tie the game at 6. The Bulldogs took a 7-6 lead on a double by Shape to drive in Owen.
Mississippi State scored two more runs in the top of the fifth as Foulks and Outfitt batted in runs to put the Bulldogs up 9-6.
The Panthers would get one back of a double from Anderson followed by a Coleman double two batters later to bring Georgia State to within 9-7.
The sealed it in the top of the sixth scoring five runs on a two-RBI single from Bailey followed by a sacrifice fly from Lenahan put the Bulldogs up 12-7.
Katie Gentle scored on a wild pitch from Thorpe followed by Owen grounding out with less than two down in the frame to drive in Foulks and increase the Mississippi State lead to 14-7.
A two-run homer from Seitz just added insult to injury increading the Bulldogs’ lead to 16-8.
The Panthers were able to get one off a homerun from Koepke, but it was not nearly enough as Mississppi State finished the game with a seven-point advantage.
Alison Owen earned her 10th win for Mississippi State while Eron Milton picked up her first loss on the year for Georgia State.
The Panthers’ next game will be on Friday at the Chanticleer Showdown in Myrtle Beach, S.C. against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They will play four other games throughout the course of the weekend.
