STARKVILLE — Devin Brown pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead the South Alabama softball team to a 2-1 victory against Mississippi State on Tuesday night at Nusz Park.
MSU (24-24) rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning, as senior Kayla Winkfield doubled off the right-field wall. Winkfield then scored on what appeared to be a routine groundout by junior Amanda Ivy.
But Brown (16-10) retired the next two hitters to help the Jaguars improve to 27-16. She walked three and struck out five.
“It was another tough outing for these young ladies,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We have the third-strongest schedule in the nation and we are feeling it. We need to stand together, fight together and believe in one another. I look forward to our next opportunity to win another pitch.”
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs, who have dropped six of their last eight. MSU has scored three or fewer runs in all of the losses. It is one of only three teams in the Southeastern Conference hitting below .300. Its .243 batting average is last in the SEC, and is 21 points lower than Arkansas, which is last in the SEC with one league victory.
Junior starter Alexis Silkwood (4-9) took the loss. She allowed seven hits in six innings. She walked one and struck out five. Sophomores Cassady Knudsen and Holly Ward combined to pitch the seventh.
South Alabama loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second, but Silkwood buckled down to strike out two and get a groundout to escape the jam.
The Jaguars scored the game-winning runs in the third on a two-out double down the left-field line by Dayla Gulledge.
MSU’s scheduled game against Mississippi Valley State for 6 p.m. today in Itta Bena has been rescheduled for noon Thursday.
n Ole Miss will play host to Alabama-Birmingham: At Oxford, the Ole Miss softball team (34-14) will play host to Alabama-Birmingham (22-24) at 6 tonight (SEC Network) at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
The Rebels will try to build on a school-record 34 wins in their third meeting against the Blazers in school history.
Ole Miss enters the game with a four-game winning streak. It is coming off a three-game sweep of Arkansas last weekend.
Alabama-Birmingham is 12-6 in Conference USA play. It is coming off a three-game sweep of UTEP last weekend in El Paso.
n Southern Mississippi will play Louisiana-Monroe: At Hattiesburg, the Southern Mississippi softball team will return to action at 6 tonight against Louisiana-Monroe at the Softball Complex.
Southern Miss (23-24) is 12-10 this season in Hattiesburg. Louisiana-Monroe (21-26) is 6-16 in true road games.
n Alabama ranked No. 4 for fourth-straight week: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Alabama softball team is ranked No. 4 for the fourth-straight week in the USA Today/NFCA poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Alabama (41-9, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) took two of three games from then-No. 11 Kentucky last weekend. The series win improved Alabama’s record to 13-8 against top-25 opponents. Nine of the wins have come in the SEC.
This weekend, Alabama will face South Carolina in a three-game series in Columbia, South Carolina.
Nine SEC schools — Florida (1/1), Auburn (3/3), Alabama (4/4), Kentucky (11/11), LSU (12/14), Tennessee (13/12), Georgia (14/15), Missouri (16/16), and Texas A&M (18/22) — are in the top 25 this week, the most of any conference.
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