STARKVILLE —
Mississippi State junior softball player Kayla Winkfield frequently talks about her team’s motto: “Win the late innings.”
The Bulldogs did just that Sunday at the MSU Softball Field.
Sophomore catcher Katie Anne Bailey hit a game-winning home run in the bottom half of the ninth inning to lift MSU to an 8-7 win against No. 8 Georgia in the final game of a three-game Southeastern Conference weekend series.
“This game shows what this team is all about,” said Winkfield, the squad’s shortstop. “We had our backs against the wall and we really needed something good to happen. All the time we talk about winning the late games and living one at-bat at a time. Today we showed how you do that.”
MSU improved to 18-5 and 1-2 in league play. The Bulldogs also moved to 2-2 against top 25 foes. That record will be critical to track as MSU tries for a fourth-straight NCAA tournament regional appearance. Georgia fell to 21-3 and 2-1.
The Bulldogs moved to 1-1 in extra-inning games. MSU has won at least one game in 19 of 25 three-game conference series under fourth-year coach Vann Stuedeman.
“Sunday is about grit and determination in this league,” Stuedeman said. “You really have to want it badly to win on Sundays in this league. The whole weekend is a grind, especially when you have some things that don’t go your way. That can make it tough. We challenged the girls to keep battling. We take pride in winning the late innings. We did that in a huge way in this game.”
MSU also beat ace pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson. In 8 1/3 innings, Wilkinson allowed 12 hits and eight runs (six earned). This came less than 48 hours after the junior breezed in a five-hit complete-game 6-1 victory in the series opener.
Wilkinson has allowed 55 hits in 94 2/3 innings. She became the conference’s first 13-game winner Friday. On Sunday, though, MSU sophomore Alexis Silkwood matched Wilkinson by going the distance Sunday and moving to an identical 13-3.
“We left a lot of runners on base early Friday night,” Bailey said, “so we felt like it was a matter of focus and taking advantage of our opportunities. Even though we didn’t win Friday night, we still had some good at-bats and we gained some confidence.”
MSU has had 10 or more hits nine times this season. Even though the series featured some struggles, the new-look approach on offense seemed to pay dividends, as MSU still held the confidence Sunday to battle back from a 4-0 deficit.
“No one ever gets down on this team,” Winkfield said. “As long we have some outs to work with, we have some confidence we can get the job done. It’s a good feeling when you know you can put a big inning together. Those can be hard to come by.”
MSU tied the game with four runs in the third. A two-run double by Caroline Seitz got things started. Mackenzie Toler, who homered off Wilkinson on Friday, followed with an RBI single. The Bulldogs then tied it on an outfield error.
Georgia re-claimed 5-4 and 7-5 leads, but MSU kept chipping away.
In the seventh, Winkfield hit a two-run triple to the right-center field gap to tie the game. Toler and Silkwood had singles prior to that at-bat.
“We needed a win badly,” Winkfield said. “The thing about this team is they never lose confidence.”
Silkwood grew stronger as the game progressed. She worked around a leadoff single in the eighth (thanks to caught stealing from Bailey at catcher) and retired the side in order in the ninth.
“This team believes they can come back from any situation,” Bailey said. “Even down 4-0, no one in the dugout panicked. We just kept working.”
Julia Echols, Seitz, Toler, and Bailey each had multiple hits. For Bailey, it was her ninth multi-hit game despite debuting in the No. 6 spot in the lineup. The former Madison Central standout has hit leadoff in 16 games this season.
“You saw some clutch performances,” Stuedeman said. “This team is special. There are no odds stacked too high against them.”
MSU will play Tuesday at Lipscomb (8-10) and Wednesday at Samford (15-10) before returning to the MSU Softball Field for a three-game conference series with No. 20 Texas A&M (19-5, 2-1 SEC).
“Having the first two SEC series at home is a huge advantage,” Stuedeman said. “For the young players, this will be a great opportunity for them to get their legs under them. We have had some really great crowd support during my time here. The crowds help make the difference when the team needs a lift.
“We like the first six (league games) being at home. However, it is just as important that you do something with this opportunity.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.