After an inauspicious ending to its first tournament of the year, the Mississippi State softball team started off strong in its second.
The Bulldogs opened the prestigious Clearwater Invitational with a pair of wins Friday, run-ruling Indiana 12-2 in five innings and taking down No. 10 Arizona 6-3 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
MSU (5-2) bounced back after shutout losses to Iowa and Stony Brook on Sunday in the FAU Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Florida.
Senior infielder Aquana Brownlee socked two home runs for the Bulldogs in the opening game against the Hoosiers (3-3). Her second long ball was a grand slam to put MSU up 12-1 in the fourth inning.
Freshman Josey Marron went the distance in the circle, striking out four over five innings.
Freshman Macy Graf was 4 for 4 at the plate and had a big role in MSU’s second win of the day.
Graf provided some insurance with a two-run home run in the seventh inning of the Bulldogs’ game against Arizona, doubling their lead.
The Wildcats (5-1) got a run back in the bottom of the seventh, but senior Kenley Hawk closed things out for MSU.
The Bulldogs took advantage of an error in the fourth inning to get revenge on the team that beat them in last year’s NCAA Super Regional. Brownlee hit an infield single and Kiersten Landers scored on a throwing error to break a 2-2 tie. A sacrifice fly by Paige Cook added to the lead.
Landers, a transfer from Florida State, was 2 for 4 with a home run against Arizona. She was 2 for 2 with a double and a homer against Indiana.
Mississippi State has three games remaining in Clearwater. The Bulldogs will take on No. 25 Michigan (4-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday before facing South Florida (2-4) and No. 20 UCF (3-2) on Sunday.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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