STARKVILLE — With two on and two out in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday, Mississippi State senior left fielder Candace Denis hit the ball hard but right at Central Arkansas second baseman Mary Kate Brown. Trailing 2-1, the Bulldogs had put their first two batters of the fifth aboard, but now the inning — and a prime opportunity for the Bulldogs to tie the game or take the lead — was over.
Or so it seemed.
The ball glanced off Brown’s glove and rolled into shallow right center field. Freshman shortstop Madisyn Kennedy scored from third, sophomore right fielder Chloe Malau’ulu scored from second, and Mississippi State had turned what looked like another empty threat into a 3-2 lead.
“We were a little down at first and a little quiet, so once we got that momentum back, it was lights out for all of us,” catcher Mia Davidson said.
From there, the Bulldogs (13-3) rode that wave to a 6-3 win over the Bears (11-6) in Wednesday’s nonconference game at Nusz Park in Starkville.
“I really like the way the team responded,” said head coach Samantha Ricketts, who singled out Davidson for her efforts. The junior led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple and scored on a groundout to cut into a 2-0 Central Arkansas lead.
“Even before she got the big hit, you could just tell it was coming because of the way she was talking and leading and bringing the girls in and telling them, ‘There’s no need to press. We’ve got this,'” Ricketts said. “I really liked everything she was doing on and off the field for us there.”
In the fifth, Kennedy walked to lead off the inning, and Malau’ulu singled. Senior second baseman Lindsey Williams bunted the runners over, but junior third baseman Montana Davidson popped out, setting up the showdown between Denis and Bears reliever Kamryn Coleman. Denis knew the team’s strategy with the low temperatures and the icy wind that permeated the park: keep the ball on the ground and come what may.
“Especially with the conditions and the weather, we were trying to focus more hard and down and make them kick the ball around a little bit, because we weren’t gonna really get anything out of the park on a day like today,” Ricketts said.
So Denis smacked Coleman’s 1-1 pitch on the ground at Brown, who found it too hot to handle. Sprinting from third base to home with her head down as soon as she saw contact, Kennedy didn’t know what had happened until she was halfway to the plate.
“I was like, ‘Oh, yes, Candace, great job!'” Kennedy said. “That is a great job by her: a quality at-bat, and she hits it through the middle, and that’s it.”
Denis stole second, and Mia Davidson followed with an RBI single to left to score her. Central Arkansas third baseman had a shot at Denis as she streaked toward the plate but either didn’t see her or decided not to take the chance, letting the Bulldogs steal an extra run.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mississippi State got two more on run-scoring singles from Malau’ulu and sophomore pinch-hitter Jackie McKenna.
“It is important giving our pitchers some cushion, knowing that when they throw the ball in there, we’re gonna have their backs,” Kennedy said.
Having those shutdown innings is always an emphasis for the Bulldogs, according to Ricketts.
“If we’re able to get on the board and answer back, we want to come right back out and put a zero up,” she said.
Troy transfer Annie Willis, who relieved senior Alyssa Loza in the circle in the third inning and earned the win, did just that in the sixth inning after hitting the leadoff batter. Junior Emily Williams pitched around a solo home run in the top of the seventh for the save, and with a four-run lead, Ricketts said she preferred the home run to a series of potentially troublesome walks. This season, including this past weekend’s Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, the team’s walk numbers are down overall.
“We tell them a solo shot’s not gonna kill anybody, but we don’t want to walk a couple people in front of a home run,” Ricketts said. “They’re doing a good job. They’ve had some good challenges out in California and again tonight, and it’s just good to see what they can do with their backs up against the wall a little bit.”
Beginning Friday, the Bulldogs will host the Snowman (Alex Wilcox Memorial) tournament, which honors the life of former Mississippi State player Alex Wilcox. Wilcox, 18, died after playing her freshman season with the Bulldogs while receiving treatment for ovarian cancer.
The three-day event features games against UAB at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday, against Alcorn State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday and against UT Martin at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Ricketts said Wilcox’s parents and grandparents might be in attendance for the tournament, and the UAB squad might feature some of Wilcox’s former high school teammates. No matter who’s there, Ricketts said the event will be a “celebration” rather than a tragic occasion.
“I think we want to make sure we do a good job of continuing to remember in Alex’s honor but also celebrate her life and everything she stood for,” Ricketts said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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