OKLAHOMA CITY – Mississippi State Softball is on the brink of elimination.
After its 8-0, run-rule loss against Texas Tech on Thursday, MSU is a loss away from its historic season coming to an abrupt close.
The Bulldogs will face Texas in the first elimination game of the Women’s College World Series at 6 p.m. Friday. Here’s what State has to do to stay alive.
Flush it out
There’s not much to do with the Game 1 tape besides throw it out.
MSU was shut out for the ninth time this season and run-ruled for just the second time. The Bulldogs have to sleep it off before their date with the Longhorns.
Head coach Samantha Ricketts said it’ll be key to get back into a routine, and that Friday’s schedule allows the Bulldogs to treat it like a Friday night in the SEC.
The good news? State has bounced back from an even worse result with their backs against the wall this postseason. Overshadowed by the 6-0 Game 3 win in the Norman Super Regional against Oklahoma is the 7-1 shellacking State took in Game 2.
Get up early
The Bulldogs saw what happens when a team goes down early against a great pitching staff.
Texas Tech took a 2-0 lead in the first, giving Nijaree Canady a cushion to work comfortably. Sophomore Morgan Stiles said the Red Raiders’ early punch let the nerves get the best of the Bulldogs.
Texas doesn’t have Canady, but they do have the pitching staff with the nation’s 12th best ERA and four pitchers appearing in more than 15 games. With that sort of depth and talent, falling behind early can be a mountain to climb.
With the season on the line and nerves sure to be at an all-time high, it’s vital to score and score early to get settled. Tennessee did the same to Texas Thursday with a three-run home run in the second inning, and it proved to be a decisive factor.
Play free
A big part of MSU’s run this postseason has been the looseness with which they have played.
Ricketts said she sensed nerves and timidness from her team before and during Thursday’s game, and said the Bulldogs will have to get back to playing confident.
“We need to start talking like that and believing it now, and not wait until it’s too late tomorrow night,” Ricketts said.
On the bus ride to their elimination game against Oklahoma, Ricketts said players were joking, and having fun, a vibe that gave Ricketts confidence playing against the Sooners. That vibe needs to get back in the dugout before tomorrow night.
To take down the reigning national champs, MSU needs to play like they have nothing to lose.
Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.
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