The Mississippi State University softball team extended its SEC losing streak to five games on Sunday as they suffered a 5-4 defeat in the final game of the series against the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks. 
The loss came after dropping the first two games of the series 2-4 and 11-0, respectively, and was arguably the most competitive game the Bulldogs played throughout the duration of the series. 
The MSU offense looked competitive in games one and three with the addition of graduate outfielder Chloe Malau’ulu back into the lineup after she was sidelined for the series against the University of Georgia and the mid-week contest against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. 
Head coach Samantha Ricketts added that despite the outcome being less than ideal, she was proud of the way her team fought down the stretch. 
“I was glad to see some fight out of the lineup. I thought that, offensively, that’s kind of what we’ve been looking for the last few weeks, so I think there are some bright spots, but when you’re playing a top ten team like [Arkansas], you can’t make mistakes,” Ricketts said. 
Game three saw the Bulldogs lead for a short period of time after senior pitcher Matalasi Faapito hit a two-run shot over the center field wall to put MSU up 4-3 before the Hogs answered in the top of the seventh inning. Faapito spoke about her approach at the plate to reporters after the game. 
“Every single time I go up to bat, obviously, I want to hit a home run, but I just knew that like, watching her pitch to me yesterday, I was just like ‘I need to get this girl’, so I’m just glad that the outcome was what I wanted,” Faapito said. 
Senior first baseman Aquana Brownlee was able to break out of her recent hitting slump as well as she recorded three hits and one home run over the weekend. 
“I just made it my mission … I’ve been in a little slump. I haven’t been getting many hits lately, but I’ve been getting good contact on the ball, so I just made that a main focus,” said Brownlee.
Despite her best efforts, the losing skid put MSU at 23-13 on the season and 3-5 in SEC play. After the SEC season-opening sweep against the University of South Carolina, MSU has struggled to find consistency at the plate, but Ricketts and her staff are confident that with the week off ahead and a big opportunity looming against Texas A&M next weekend, their fortunes could turn around. 
“There’s never an off weekend in this league,” said Ricketts. “Everyone’s good, and that’s what makes it tough, and it’s what makes it fun and we embrace the challenge.”
MSU’s next test will be a road trip to College Station, Texas, to face the Texas A&M University Aggies in a three game series. Action begins on Saturday at 7:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and Monday at 6:00 p.m. All games will be aired on the SEC Network.