STARKVILLE — Mississippi State softball had caught a break.
The Bulldogs seemed to have given up the go-ahead run in the sixth inning Sunday against No. 24 Missouri at Nusz Park on a misplayed ball up the middle, but the Tigers’ tally was promptly wiped off the scoreboard.
The reason? Missouri coach Larissa Anderson wrote down the jersey number of the wrong pinch-runner, and Bulldogs coach Samantha Ricketts — thanks to a team manager — was made aware.
“She had written down 0 was the player that was entered, and it was 6 that scored, so by rule it’s an illegal substitution and she’s out,” Ricketts said.
But given a second chance, Mississippi State couldn’t take advantage.
Missouri pushed across a run in the seventh on two consecutive errors, and after the Bulldogs (26-14, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) tied the game but failed to end it, the Tigers (24-15, 4-7 SEC) used a pair of home runs to propel themselves to an 8-5, extra-inning win.
MSU settled for a series win rather than a sweep of Missouri but remained over .500 in conference play.
“I think we came out competing and fighting,” right fielder Jackie McKenna said. “Obviously today wasn’t the end result that we wanted, but we still fought ’til the eighth inning.”
The Bulldogs fought the Tigers to a draw through seven wild innings until Missouri catcher Gabi Deters went deep for a two-run shot to center field in the eighth. Jenna Laird added an inside-the-park homer, ruled safe on obstruction after review.
Left fielder Chloe Malau’ulu snagged the softball as it rolled off the wall in center field and back toward the infield dirt, but her accurate throw was for naught as umpires ruled catcher Mia Davidson didn’t give Laird a lane to the plate.
It was the final straw for the Bulldogs, who went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
Mississippi State, down to its final strike, tied the contest 5-5 in the seventh on a bloop single by designated player Addison Purvis. On a 3-2 pitch with a runner on second and two out, Purvis popped the ball just over the head of Missouri third baseman Kara Daly and near the line.
“I was hoping it was going to land,” Purvis said. “I saw it over the third baseman, and I just was hoping that it was fair.”
It was, taking a wild bounce and hurtling into foul ground to allow Malau’ulu to score. But after Madisyn Kennedy singled and Brylie St. Clair was intentionally walked, Riley Hull flied out to center to extend the game.
The series finale might not have need extending had the Bulldogs played cleaner defense, and miscues hurt them in both the sixth and seventh.
Missouri tied the game 4-4 in the sixth when a high pop-up into right field with two away dropped in front of McKenna, letting a runner score all the way from first. If not for the improper substitution, the Tigers would have gone ahead one batter later when Deters’ ball up the middle evaded two fielders and kicked away.
In the seventh, pitcher Kenley Hawk tried in vain to retire the lead runner at second on a comebacker, ending up with no outs instead and putting runners on second and third. Missouri’s Megan Moll brought home the go-ahead run on a grounder to short as Kennedy’s throw to nab the runner at the plate was low.
In both innings, the defensive mistakes seemed to “snowball” on the Bulldogs, a term Ricketts previously used.
“That’s something we’ll continue to work on because we know if we can clean that up, that’ll help that consistency that we’re aiming for,” she said.
For much of the series, including Friday’s 9-2 win and Saturday’s 2-0 shutout victory, the Bulldogs were consistent as could be. They showed it again early Saturday as Hull tied the game at 1 apiece in the second inning, and McKenna gave her team a 4-2 lead with a three-run homer in the third.
The senior was one of seven Mississippi State starters to record a hit as the Bulldogs maintained the offensive balance they’ve shown this season.
“If someone’s not getting their job done, we have another person ready,” McKenna said. “I think everybody’s contributing and everyone knows what their role is. I just think we are a lot more competitive in the box, and we’ve been working hard.”
But Missouri had the last laugh Sunday, denying Mississippi State a sweep just a season after the Tigers won all three games in Columbia.
Ricketts said her team knows it has to clean things up going into next weekend’s series at No. 5 Alabama, but she liked the progress the Bulldogs have made.
“I like that we’re disappointed and that we know that’s a team we can compete with and beat — a ranked team that’s gone far in the postseason before,” she said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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