The Mississippi State softball team (31-24) erupted for nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings combined, then held off a late fifth-inning rally to expel Jacksonville State (32-16) in one hour and 27 minutes with a 10-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field. Kellie Wilkerson plated three RBI and scored a pair of runs on a 2-for-2 showing at the plate, including a pinch-hit double in the third inning. Krystal Tillman scored a trio of runs on a 2-for-2 showing with a walk, with Jennifer Nelson tallying an RBI on a 2-for-3 hitting day. Allie Simons turned in an RBI on a 2-for-3 tally to highlight the Gamecock hitting.
Mississippi State needed just two at-bats to put its first run on the scoreboard. Tillman moved into scoring position on a leadoff single and a stolen base, then scored the run on Kate Jaspers’ RBI single to right centerfield. Jacksonville State knotted the score back up in the third, using a pair of hits and an untimely Maroon and White error to bring a runner across.
However, Mississippi State sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run third, highlighted by a two-run single from Iyhia McMichael, then got a two-run dinger from Wilkerson in the fourth to spark a four-run rally. The Bulldogs plated their ninth and 10th runs of the game on a Tyeah Patterson RBI triple and a Jennifer Waterman RBI groundout to provide the final.
Mississippi State will return to action this weekend as the Bulldogs embark on their last road trip of the regular season, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for a crucial three-game set with SEC Western Division foe Arkansas. The two will open up the set with a 12 p.m. Saturday afternoon twinbill and will play the series finale on Sunday at noon.