The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Mississippi State
UAB Hands Mississippi State Second Loss Of Season, 5-3
3/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 4, 2014
STARKVILLE, Miss. – UAB hit a season-high five doubles and handed Mississippi State (19-2) its first home loss of the season in a 5-3 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday night at the MSU Softball Field.
“Coming here in the weather conditions not being desirable, I was proud of the way the girls came out and not let the weather affect them at all,” head coach Marla Townsend said.
The Blazers (7-10) totaled eight hits against the Bulldogs, the most they’ve given up all year, and also scored five against the team that had only previously given up two at the most in a single game. Mississippi State pitchers had allowed just 12 runs through 20 games all season, but UAB found its stride at the plate to defeat its second SEC opponent of 2014.
“I’m proud of the way we adjusted early to (Alison) Owens,” Townsend said. “She’s a quality pitcher and no one has got more than five hits or two runs off them all year. Even the outs we had early on were solid hits. Hayley Davis gets her opportunity to come in the seven spot and I’m just proud of her and really proud of the bottom part of the lineup. Leigh did a good job of keeping good hitters on their toes and allowing her defense to do some work.”
UAB had five players record an RBI as Caitlin Attfield, Heather Pearson, Kristen McGrath, Hayley Davis and Danii Fernandez all drove in runs. Attfield finished 2-for-4 at the plate and Davis was 2-for-3 – she also hit two doubles for her first two of the season and first since her freshman year in 2012.
Pearson extended her reached-base streak to 16 games with a walk in the first, and the Blazers’ run in the second inning was the first the Bulldogs have allowed in the frame all year.
Bulldogs pitcher Alison Owen, who entered the game with eight-straight complete game performances and a 0.48 ERA, was chased by UAB in the fourth inning. UAB’s five doubles also marks the first time they have accomplished the feat since April 13, 2013 at Tulsa last season.
Senior Leigh Streetman (6-5) tossed her fourth complete game of the season and fanned seven Bulldogs, allowing just five hits and three earned runs.
“Obviously that seventh inning we came back and two runs capped back on top of the three, that’s the difference in the ball game,” Townsend said. “They never quit and their mentality was up there with the best. The schedule we played thus far I felt definitely showed up our advantage this time so now we’re ready to get into conference play.”
UAB 5, Mississippi State 3
Hayley Davis put UAB on the board in the second on an RBI double. Amy Dennis led off the inning with a walk and Davis drove her home on a shot sent to left field to plate UAB’s first run and give them an early 1-0 lead.
Mississippi State would answer in the third on a two-out, RBI double from Caroline Seitz. Loryn Nichols led the inning off for the Bulldogs with a single, and following two-straight putouts, Seitz drove Mississippi State’s first run in on a double to right to even the score at 1-1.
Mississippi State led off the fourth with a double and followed with a hit-by-pitch to put two on and no out. Following a strikeout from the Bulldog eight-hole hitter, Nichols sent a ground ball to Attfield at short who attempted a force play at third, but she was charged with an error to load the bases and just one out. Streetman would escape the jam and get a huge 1-2-3 double play that was grounded back to her in the circle.
In the Blazers’ half of the fifth, Davis led off with her second double of the game down the right field line. Ashley Johnson followed with a successful sacrifice bunt attempt to move the runner over as Davis then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Danii Fernandez would then pick up the first double of her collegiate career, a line drive to left-center, that scored Davis from third to make the score 2-1. Caitlin Attfield then followed with an RBI-single to score Fernandez from second and make the score 3-1.
UAB tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh and sent seven batters to the plate for the second time of the game. Fernandez reached on an error to begin the inning and Attfield totaled her second RBI of the game with a double. UAB went on to get hits in back-to-back at-bats and added two runs to make the lead 5-1.
Mississippi State wouldn’t go down quietly, though, as they added two runs in the seventh. Heidi Shape drew a one-out walk before Seitz sent a high fly ball to left for a 2-run home run to make the score 5-3.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB softball program and in-game updates, follow @UABsoftball on Twitter and Instagram.
