The Mississippi State University softball squad brought home a series win over Arkansas this past weekend at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
To kick off the weekend series, MSU won 6-3 against Arkansas in Friday’s 6 p.m. game after rallying in the seventh inning by earning four runs after trailing by one. Neither team scored in the first three innings until Arkansas took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, graduate student infielder Kat Wallace ran home from third off graduate student infielder Aquana Brownlee’s pinch hit. The Bulldogs kept the scoring momentum going and scored again in the top of the sixth by freshman infielder Kylee Edwards reaching on a throwing error by the pitcher that allowed junior infielder Jaydn Burney to score, who also previously pinch ran for fifth year utility player Paige Cook after she singled through left field.
The seventh inning was a huge scoring inning, the Bulldogs caught up to Arkansas after they had a one-run lead. Sierra Sacco beat out an infield single to third which pushed Kiarra Sells home after coming in to run for Matalasi Faapito. Madisyn Kennedy hit a three-run double while escaping being thrown out by the error of the third baseman dropping the ball on the tag.
After winning Friday’s game, the Bulldogs unfortunately lost 3-0 to the Razorbacks in Saturday’s 2 p.m. game, leaving Sunday to be the ultimate decider of the series winner. Arizona remained strong defensively and held off MSU from scoring.
Head coach Samatha Ricketts spoke on their loss and how adjustments to the game need to be faster and earlier on in the game.
“I thought they did a good job of keeping us off balance,” Ricketts said. “We have to understand that you have to make adjustments early. You can’t get out the same way. I just think, overall, we need to come out with more energy and ready to attack, not sitting back and waiting for something to happen for us.”
This season MSU has played 30 games and has won 23 games making it the second best-30-game start in program history. Mississippi State has earned its highest total of 205 runs in the first 30 games since 2004.
In Saturday’s game, Cook continued her hitting streak to four games and Madisyn Kennedy furthered her career-long reached-base streak to 17 games with a walk.
To finish the weekend off in Sunday’s 12:00 p.m. game MSU won 15-7 to Arizona in just five innings.
Kennedy started the game off with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. After this impressive start to the game, the Bulldogs remained offense heavy. In the top of the second, fifth year outfielder Brylie St. Clair singled up the middle to score freshman catcher and outfielder Ella Wesolowski followed by junior outfielder Sierra Sacco’s three-run homer, which was her first career home run.
The big scoring inning of the game was the top of the fourth inning where Wesolowski scored her first career grand slam. Mississippi State scored another five runs within the inning, one of them being freshman infielder Salen Hawkins’ second home run of the year.
Arkansas scored two runs in the bottom of the second, three runs in the bottom of the fourth, and five runs in the bottom of the second. The Razorbacks were not able to catch up to the Bulldog’s amazing offensive momentum causing them to lose the series.
The Bulldogs return to action at Nusz Park for another SEC matchup against No. 10 Florida. The first game of the series against the Gators will be Thursday at 5 p.m. CT.
