Bulldogs Finish Off Saturday Sweep of Tennessee, 3-1

Saturday, March 31

Knoxville, Tenn.

University of Tennessee

14-22, 4-9

Mississippi State

22-16, 10-4

Mississippi State

Tennessee

March 31, 2001 | Softball

Box Score

3/31/2001 UT vs. Mississippi State: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

Mississippi State Captures Eighth Straight Victory, UT's Janette Koshell Homers in Loss

Box Score
Behind the pitching of sophomore Jennifer Nelson and a three-run third frame, Mississippi State dealt the Lady Vols a 3-1 loss to earn a sweep of Saturday's twinbill at Tyson Park. In picking up its school-record eighth straight league win, the Bulldogs (22-16) boosted their Southeastern Conference total to 10-4. Jim Beitia's squad suffered its third straight defeat to fall to 14-22 overall and 4-9 in league play. Mississippi State has now taken the last four meetings between the schools entering Sunday's finale.

Senior Janette Koshell provided the Orange with a quick start to the second game by bashing Nelson's first pitch over the right field fence with one down in the first. The dinger was the third of the campaign for the Granite Bay, Calif., native and was her second in league play.

Mississippi State forged ahead in the third with three unearned runs off freshman Leigh Ann Ellis. Junior All-American Kellie Wilkerson reached on a one-out infield error and was then sacrificed over to second by senior Cheri Smith. Freshman Iyhia McMichael, the current SEC Player of the Week, crushed a 1-0 offering from Ellis over the left field fence for a two-run shot to give State a 2-1 edge. Freshman Jennifer Waterman then stepped up and smashed a 2-2 pitch to center field for her first career blast.

Maura Mollet Nelson tossed six innings, giving up three hits with a strikeout, to even her mark at 3-3. Wilkerson came on to hurl a perfect seventh to notch her SEC-best sixth save of the campaign. Ellis surrendered five hits and fanned four in slipping to 3-7 in her rookie season. Senior center fielder Maura Mollet was 2-for-3 for the Big Orange.

The Lady Vols and Bulldogs will conclude the weekend set tomorrow with a single game at one o'clock. Tennessee will head to Columbia for a critical series at Eastern Division leader #17 South Carolina on Tuesday and Wednesday.