MSU softball loses game
SEATTLE – Washington's Morganne Flores homered twice to lead the Huskies to a 6-1 victory over Mississippi State softball in the winner's bracket contest to open Saturday's Seattle Regional action at the Husky Softball Stadium.
Mississippi State (34-21) looked to keep its season alive in an elimination contest against the winner of Fordham-seattle late Saturday night. That result was not available at press time.
Flores homered earlier with a two-run bomb in the first, but senior Kat Moore answered right back with a solo bomb of her own to cut the lead to one run. The Huskies went on to score five unanswered runs to advance to the Seattle Regional finale.
Junior Candace Denis was the lone Bulldog to turn in a multi-hit performance as she added two singles in the game. Moore delivered the Bulldogs lone run with her second-inning homer.
Sophomore Emily Williams tossed the complete game as she fell to 14-9 for the season. Williams allowed six runs off nine hits and a lone walk and a hit by pitch. The right-hander struck out three.
Washington's Sis Bates led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single before Flores put the Huskies out front with a home run to left field. Sophomore Emily Williams immediately settled down and forced three straight fly ball outs to limit the damage.
Moore immediately responded, leading off the top of the second with a solo homer to left field to cut Washington's lead to 2-1, but the Huskies answered in the bottom of the inning. After Emma Helm led off the bottom of the second with a double down the right field line, Washington used two groundouts to second to manufacture a run to push their lead back to two.
Bates and Flores struck again in the bottom of the third as Bates singled up the middle and Flores homered to straightaway center to push Washington's lead to 5-1.
Washington added an insurance run on the bottom of the sixth with three straight singles, including an RBI single to right field from Taryn Atlee.
Mississippi State try to make noise in the top of the seventh with back-to-back singles from Denis and redshirt sophomore Montana Davidson, but a pop up to second and game-ending double play silenced the Bulldogs.