The Mississippi State softball team responded well to its first loss of the season.
After the Bulldogs struggled to score in a 2-1 loss to Tulsa on Friday afternoon in their first game in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic at Nusz Park in Starkville, they righted the ship for the rest of the weekend.
Mississippi State (8-1) shut out North Alabama 6-0 on Friday night, beat Tennessee State 3-0 on Saturday and booked a spot in Sunday’s championship game with a 9-1, six-inning victory over North Alabama on Saturday night.
Mississippi State will face Tennessee State, which outlasted Tulsa 2-1 in 10 innings in Saturday’s other semifinal, in the final at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ four games so far this weekend.
Mississippi State 9, North Alabama 1, six innings
Mississippi State’s bats got it going late to gain some breathing room against North Alabama, and the Bulldogs beat the Lions for the second time in two days.
Four runs in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth did the trick for Mississippi State, which scored three runs in the first inning but was quiet for the next three frames.
In the first, senior catcher Mia Davidson doubled in a run, senior first baseman Fa Leilua singled her home, and junior designated player Carter Spexarth brought home Leilua on a single and an error by the Lions.
Sophomore Grace Fagan pitched the first four innings, and junior Emily Williams struck out six batters in two hitless innings. Williams loaded the bases in the fifth on two walks and an error but escaped.
Davidson hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth, and freshman shortstop Madisyn Kennedy followed with her second three-run homer of the week inside the left-field foul pole.
In the sixth, Davidson homered again, clubbing a two-run shot to left to end the game.
“It was good to see the offense show up for game two,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release from Mississippi State. “We talked a little towards the end of game one about being more aggressive and attacking early in the count. That’s more of our game plan and what we like to do as hitters. I really liked what I saw out of the pitching staff. It’s nice to get everything rolling on all cylinders.”
North Alabama got its run in the third inning on a solo home run by Emma Latham.
Mississippi State 3, Tennessee State 0
Kenley Hawk pitched six scoreless innings, and the Bulldogs’ offense came through late to help Mississippi State blank Tennessee State in Saturday’s first game.
Hawk, a freshman from Palestine, Arkansas, gave up two hits and two walks and struck out five hitters during her dominant performance.
In the bottom of the inning, freshman Brylie St. Clair pinch ran for senior second baseman Lindsey Williams and stole second base. Senior Candace Denis, at designated player in the contest, drove in St. Clair with a single to center field to break the scoreless tie. After Davidson flied out and Denis stole second, Leilua crushed a two-run homer to left to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
Williams got the save with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, striking out the Tigers’ final hitter.
Mississippi State 6, North Alabama 0, Friday
Troy transfer Annie Willis pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts as the Bulldogs blanked North Alabama on Friday.
The junior allowed six hits and a walk for her team’s first complete game of the season, and Mississippi State scored in the first, third and sixth innings to rebound from a loss to Tulsa earlier in the day.
“I was disappointed with the energy that we came out with the first game,” Ricketts said. “We challenged the girls to come back in game two, and I thought they did a much better job of coming out and being locked in from pitch one. It helps when Annie pitches the way that she does. She is doing a really good job of getting herself out of jams. That is the first time we had the pitcher throw out all seven, and that is something we are going to need down the stretch.”
Offensive support helped the Bulldogs back Willis and beat the Lions.
Leilua doubled home Denis in the first inning, and Denis smacked a two-run homer to score senior center fielder Christian Quinn in the third.
In the sixth, sophomore right fielder Chloe Malau’ulu drove in Leilua with a single, sophomore pinch-hitter Anna Kate Segars scored Kennedy with a base hit, and Quinn scored junior third baseman Montana Davidson with an RBI single.
Tulsa 2, Mississippi State 1, Friday
Tulsa plated runs on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch in the third inning, and the Bulldogs could never muster a comeback.
Mia Davidson’s fifth-inning solo shot halved the deficit for Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs missed a big chance in the sixth inning and went down 1-2-3 in the seventh.
Spexarth led off the sixth with a walk, and Segars took a free pass with two out, but Quinn smacked a hard liner directly to the center fielder, ending the inning.
With the top of the order up in the bottom of the seventh, Denis popped up, Mia Davidson grounded out, and Leilua was caught looking to end the game.
Fagan took the loss after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing two runs. Senior Alyssa Loza followed with two scoreless innings, and Emily Williams pitched a scoreless seventh.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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