Erin Nesbit's double with two outs in the bottom of the fifth was the game winner!

Courtesy: hailstate.com

Nesbit's Two-Run Double Gives State 4-3 Win Vs. Kentucky

April 20, 2012

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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Deadlocked in a 2-2 tie with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Mississippi State shortstop Erin Nesbit sailed a two-run double to the wall in left en route to a crucial 4-3 Southeastern Conference victory against Kentucky Friday night at the MSU Softball Stadium. The Bulldogs improved to 26-19 overall and 9-14 inside the SEC, while Kentucky dropped to 23-24 with a 10-10 conference record.

"Kudos to our players for really putting it out there tonight," Head Coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Coach (Alan) Reach, Coach (Beth) Mullins and Kelsi Dunne all did a phenomenal job this week preparing our hitters. With that said, we must be ready for tomorrow because Kentucky is a great team."

In addition to Nesbit's game-winning two-bagger, all four runs for the Bulldogs came from the first quartet in the order. Leadoff hitter Brittany Bell went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run, reaching base safely for the 42nd time in 45 games this season. Junior Jessica Cooley scored once on two walks, while reigning SEC Player of the Week Ka'ili Smith went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run. Cleanup hitter Sam Lenahan tied a career high with three base on balls, driving in a run and scoring once. Two of Lenahan's three free passes came on at-bats of nine and 12 pitches.

Junior left-hander Stephanie Becker picked up her 14th win of the season, doubling her win total from a year ago. The Chicago southpaw struck out nine and walked none in her team-best 11th complete game of the 2012 campaign. Becker's nine strikeouts marked her second-highest output of the year.

After Kentucky drew first blood in the top of the third with a two-run home run by left fielder Ellen Weaver, the Bulldogs responded with two runs of their own in the third. Bell led off with a standup double down the left-field line. Cooley and Smith walked to load the bases, before Lenahan earned a base on balls to plate Bell. With the bases still juiced, junior Shelby Fisher drove in Cooley on a grounder to the shortstop to tie the game.

Tied at two, Smith began the bottom of the fifth frame by depositing a full-count pitch for a single to left field. Following another walk by Lenahan, both runners advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape. Kentucky's second out of the inning brought up Nesbit, who shot a 2-2 pitch over Weaver's head in left for the game-winning, bases-clearing, two-RBI double.

The Wildcats would score a run in the sixth stanza to cut the deficit to one, but it wasn't enough as Becker held on for the complete-game victory.

Starkville's Team returns to the Dawg Diamond Saturday for a noon Super Bulldog Weekend showdown with Kentucky. Game two of the series will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with Cara Capuano serving as the play-by-play announcer and National Pro Fastpitch League Commissioner Cheri Kempf handling the color analyst duties. Free audio streaming will be available through HailStateTV at www.hailstate.com/hstvlive. For more information regarding MSU softball, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS

Saturday, April 21st, 2012 (12 pm, ESPNU)

National Anthem: Jasmine Murray

Ceremony: Recognizing All Former MSU Softball Players

First Pitch: Donte Hill, Area Coordinator for Residence Life; Dr. Ann Bailey, Director of Housing and Resident Life

In Game Promotions: