March 18, 2008

Box Score

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss softball team managed only three hits against the No. 21 Mississippi State in a losing effort, 9-0, at the USM Softball Complex Tuesday night.

Southern Miss falls to 14-15 on the season, while State improves to 23-9. State's Misty Flesher (8-5) picked up the win, in walking only two batters and striking out two in five innings of work.

Southern Miss' Shea Naramore (1-2) got the loss for the Lady Eagles, giving up nine runs.

"Shea didn¹t throw badly and the few hits she gave up until that last inning were all singles," head coach Howard Dobson said. "I don¹t like to lose any game, but we saw some positives. Our at-bats were getting a little better. We hit some balls hard, but they didn¹t go through for us."

State put four runs on the board in the first inning on four hits. Naramore retired the leadoff batter, but Ali Bainbridge reached on a walk and Courtney Bures followed with a single. Sammie Jo Bailey then singled through the right side, plating Bainbridge and advancing to second on the throw. Jessie Bailey then reached on a fielder's choice and advance to second when Jennifer Fox threw out the runner going home. Hayle Guess singled up the middle, scoring Sammie Jo Bailey. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, and then Courtney Nesbit added a two-run single to center.

USM's Megan Hill led off the bottom of the inning with a walk. Brandi Alonzo followed with what looked to be a single to right field, but MSU's Megan Bateman came on strong, mading a good play on the ball that kept Hill too close to first base and she was thrown out at second.

State opened the second inning with a leadoff walk, but the Eagles were able to turn its 17th double-play of the season, when Bateman walked to leadoff the inning and Nakita Boyce hit a sac bunt and Bateman was caught in a run-down attempting to go to third on the play.

MSU added five more runs in the top of the fifth, aided by five four hits. Boyce reached base with a walk, followed by a bunt single by Bramlett. Bainbridge moved both runners up with a sac bunt, before Bures singled up the middle to score Boyce and Bramlett. With runners on, Guess hit a triple to right center field scoring both. Nesbit then followed with a double to send Guess home for the final run.

Southern Miss then put a runner is scoring position after Kristin Chaney reached base on a single to the shortstop, and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hill then flew out to center field before Alonzo ended the game with a strikeout.

"Offensively, we¹ve been struggling," Dobson said. "Getting behind early changes your game plan a little bit. It makes your hitter chase pitches and try to get it all back at one time. We¹ve got a young team. They¹ve just got to try to chip away at a lead and get that goose egg out, and then go from there."

Southern Miss hits the road for a three-game series at No. 11/12 Houston, Mar. 21-22.