LAFAYETTE, La. — Missed opportunities.
The Mississippi State softball team had the baserunners Friday night, but it couldn’t deliver the critical hit it needed. MSU stranded 10 runners in its opening game at the NCAA tournament Lafayette Regional en route to an 8-4 loss to Baylor at Louisiana-Lafayette’s Lamson Park.
MSU (35-20) will play to keep its season alive at 6 p.m. Saturday when it takes on Weber State (38-18). The Bulldogs will have to win twice Saturday to advance to today’s championship round.
“Sometimes you have to make you own luck,” MSU senior second baseman Julia Echols said. “Sometimes the hits fall for you and other times they don’t. I thought a few times we tried to get outside of ourselves. We swung at some pitches that were (Baylor pitcher Heather Stearn’s) pitches and not our pitches, and that is frustrating.
“We got some calls early, and we didn’t run with that like we should of.”
MSU won its first 21 games this season when scoring first. However, MSU lost to South Carolina in Game 3 of its final regular-season Southeastern Conference series after it scored first. The same thing happened Friday night.
In the opening inning, Echols reached on a leadoff walk. Katie Anne Bailey then appeared to reach as a hit batsman. However, Bailey was brought back to the plate when the umpire ruled the ball also hit the bat. Stearns then struck Bailey out. Caroline Seitz followed with a double and Mackenzie Toler walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Alexis Silkwood scored MSU’s only run.
Baylor (39-15) answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Bears had four hard-hit balls off Silkwood before the Bulldogs escaped the jam.
A two-hour rain delay halted action. The delay appeared to benefit the Bulldogs, who came out much sharper.
“I thought we started strong and the delay really hurt us,” Baylor coach Glenn Moore said. “Mississippi State seemed to come out much more relaxed after the delay. I am glad we eventually settled back down and played better. We were able to hit some balls hard and keep the momentum.”
After the delay, the Bulldogs trimmed the lead to 3-2 thanks to three hits and a ground ball out.
“We just aren’t getting that extra hit,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “Championship softball teams get that extra hit. We had some may come-from-behind wins earlier in the year. You just always believe you are going to come through and get that extra hit. We have a belief that is going to happen. However, for this team right now, it isn’t happening.”
After Silkwood retired the side in order in the second, Baylor scored three runs in the third.
Still, the Bulldogs kept battling. Seitz’s 14th home run of the year brought them within 6-4 in the top of the fourth.
Baylor answered with a two-run home run by Shelby Friudenberg — her 17th of the season.
“That was really a back-breaker,” Seitz said. “We had fought hard to get back in the game. We left a lot of runners on base, so we knew we would continue to have a chance to score. However, when they got the home run, it was big. It really hurt us emotionally and made it hard to rally again.”
Stearns (20-11) allowed four runs (all earned) on six hits in five innings. Kendall Potts pitched two innings of one-hit relief to preserve the win.
“You have to have three or four pitchers if you are going to go to the World Series,” Stearns said. “I have a lot of confidence in Kendall and the other pitchers on this team, too. She really came in and did a great job. I didn’t have as much command as I normally do, so it was good to see her come in and get the job done the way she did.”
Silkwood (25-15) also pitched five innings. Cassady Knudsen retired the side in order in Baylor’s final at-bat.
“There is a lot of softball left to be played, so we just have to move on and be ready,” Stuedeman said. “Saturday should be a long, tiring day at the park, but we are going to come ready to play. We are still looking to play our best softball. We need to do that to give ourselves a chance.”
Despite losing nine of their last 13 games, Seitz feels the Bulldogs can re-capture the magic that led to victories against top-five foes LSU and Florida earlier this season.
“We know we can do it,” Seitz said. “We never give up. As a team, we are still confident. Two wins is easy for us. We have been there, and we know we can do it. We are just ready to get back out here and play again and get the job done.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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