GTR Times

Beuerlein Breaks MSU Freshman Strikeout Record In Midweek Win

Reis Beuerlein was in control from the first batter of the game. She struck out the first two on her way to a Mississippi State freshman-record 14 strikeouts as the Bulldogs defeated Purdue, 5-1.

 

State (19-8) got multi-hit games from Chloe Malau'ulu and Brylie St. Clair. Malau'ulu's second hit left the yard for a decisive two-run homer.

 

"That was a great game by Reis [Beuerlein] today. It is important that we got back-to-back quality starts by these pitchers in the midweek games, especially since we need them when the offense has to get going," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "It was huge to see her in control all game long. She had great command, mixed her pitches and got swings and misses on pretty much all of them. I'm proud of her for her effort. It helps make sure our bullpen is deep going into conference play this weekend."

 

MSU broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when Aquana Brownlee drew a bases-loaded walk to score St. Clair. Riley Hull brought Malau'ulu home with an RBI single, and Jackie McKenna hit a sacrifice fly into foul ground to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.

 

Purdue (12-9) found Beuerlein's only mistake in the fifth with a one-out solo homer, but the Bulldog freshman bounced back to strike out five of the final 10 Boilermakers. Malau'ulu then backed up her pitcher with the two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning.

 

Beuerlein's efforts surpassed that of her teammate Josey Marron, who tied the previous freshman record with 13 punchouts back in February against Furman. It was the Cave Creek, Arizona, native's first complete game and the Bulldogs' fifth of the year.

 

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on the pitching staff…

"It has been good to see contributions for a lot of the pitchers and not just relying on one arm, but having four, five or six-deep that we can go to. We can play matchups. We can go through a weekend and not have to rely on one person to throw all three days. We are excited about the direction they are trending in. They are all giving us really good outings. It's going to make it really fun for us going into SEC play this weekend.

 

Reis Beuerlein on her performance…

"I was ready to go. I was really locked in and focused and really confident in my stuff today. I knew I had my defense behind me, and I knew the offense was going to pick me up when they figured [Purdue's] pitchers out and they did. And I was rolling – I was hitting spots. I knew how to attack their swings. [Pitching coach] Josh [Johnson] had a really good plan, and we just went with it. That was kind of the plan for the night."

 

Reis Beuerlein on Josh Johnson's gameplanning…

"He's got a good plan for every game [and] for every team we face, and it shows. I feel like we're doing really well as a staff, and it's because of Josh's plan and how we attack batters with our stuff."

 

Chloe Malau'ulu on the team's performance today…

"I think we knew, as a team that yesterday's game opened up a lot of eyes, and we had some soul searching to do. I think we figured it out today. It took a little bit of a slow start, but there was never a doubt. We knew that everybody was going to come through for each other [and] back each other up, so we all had a lot of faith in each other today."

 

Quick Hitters

Reis Beuerlein – Broke the MSU freshman record with 14 strikeouts … became the second Bulldog to tie or break the record this year (Josey Marron, 13 vs. Furman, Feb. 26) … tossed her first career complete game and MSU's fifth of the season … allowed two hits.

 

Aquana Brownlee – Drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

 

Paige Cook – Walked twice and scored.

 

Riley Hull – Delivered an RBI single.

 

Chloe Malau'ulu – Went 2-for-3 with her team-leading sixth home run of the year … it was also her team-leading eighth multi-RBI game of the season.

 

Jackie McKenna – Hit a sacrifice fly into foul ground.

 

Brylie St. Clair – Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored … stole a base … leads the team with six stolen bases on seven attempts.

 

Scoring Recap

Bottom 4

With one out, Brylie St. Clair singled up the middle. Chloe Malau'ulu followed with another single up the middle. St. Clair advanced to third, but the throw was wild and Malau'ulu advanced on the error. Paige Cook walked to load the bases. Aquana Brownlee also drew a walk to bring in St. Clair. Riley Hull then slapped a single over the third baseman to bring home another run in Malau'ulu. Jackie McKenna added to the lead with a sacrifice fly into foul ground behind first base to move everyone up a base and bring in Cook.

Purdue 0, Mississippi State 3

 

Top 5

Olivia McFadden hit a solo home run with one out.

Purdue 1, Mississippi State 3

 

Bottom 5

With two outs, St. Clair singled through the left side. Malau'ulu then hit a two-run homer to left-center field.

Purdue 1, Mississippi State 5

 

On Deck

Mississippi State will open Southeastern Conference play at home this weekend, hosting South Carolina. The Friday night series opener is set for 6 p.m. with a postgame fireworks show planned. Saturday is Native American Day at Nusz Park, and first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The series wraps up on Sunday at 12 p.m., which is also MSU's annual Bark in the Park game. All three games of the series will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Original source can be found here.