Mississippi State softball keeps winning.
After starting the season 0-13 in Southeastern Conference play, the Bulldogs ended the regular season Sunday with their seventh consecutive victory, all of which came against SEC opponents, finishing a sweep of No. 22 Georgia by earning a 4-3 win Sunday in Starkville.
“You can’t ask for a better senior weekend,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release. “I love that they all played a big part in the weekend. They mean so much for this program. All three of them came in, and didn’t start here as freshman, all transferred in and bought into what we are doing. They have been leaders for us ever since they stepped on campus. It is really special to see them continue to grow within their time in this program. They have all grown in their confidence in their softball and skills on and off the field and are leaders for the younger players following behind them. I am really proud of all three of them and of this whole team. They are coming together at the right time and its really special to watch it happen.”
MSU (32-22, 8-15 SEC) has played itself all the way into a No. 9 seed in this week’s SEC tournament and will face No. 8 seed Ole Miss at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. The winning streak, which is tied with the 1999 season for the second-longest SEC winning streak in program history, should have MSU feel confident about being selected for a regional when the conference tournament concludes.
“It does feel really good,” said MSU outfielder Chloe Malau’ulu, who finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored. “I don’t think we are going to change anything up about our mindset going into the SEC tournament and then postseason. We are just going to take it one game at a time. Keep giving our all and leaving everything out there on the field for every game. Expect to see the same mindset because we are trying not to be too big in the moment. We are going to take it day by day and play our game.”
Against Georgia (29-20, 7-17), the Bulldogs scored most of their runs on the rare three-run sacrifice fly, which was made possible by an error. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the third in a 1-1 game, Mia Davidson lifted a ball to deep center field. The throw was cutoff, but a relay throw to third sailed over the third baseman’s head and caused two more runs to score. Davidson drove in the only other MSU run of the game with an RBI single in the first inning and finished the day 2-for-2.
MSU starter Annie Willis picked up her 16th victory of the year in the circle, while Alyssa Loza recorded her fourth save of the season.
“It was a full circle moment, being out there with my girls,” Loza said. “I was fighting every pitch with another gritty performance for us. The defense played awesome. Mia [Davidson] played awesome. The pitch calling was on point. We had those timely hits. The word that sums everything up for me is grateful. Grateful for this program, my teammates, coaches, and support staff. That win right there was for everybody.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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