STARKVILLE — Friday afternoon was a statement game for Mississippi State softball, hosting No. 10 Arkansas in the first of a three-game weekend set.
The Bulldogs, looking to bounce back after struggling at Georgia, struck first in the top of the first inning as Paige Cook hit her eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot into right-center.
Two runs simply wouldn’t be enough to take down the Razorbacks and Kacie Hoffman, who hit two homers of her own, giving them a 3-2 lead.
Last season’s Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year, Chenise Delce, quickly settled down, allowing just two hits the rest of the way as the Bulldogs fell, 4-2.
“I liked the attack early,” Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Paige was definitely seeing it well, but we have to have a little bit more support and some quality at-bats up and down the lineup.”
Delce, one of the better strikeout pitchers in the conference, pitched to contact on Friday more often than usual.
Mississippi State (23-11, 3-3 SEC) couldn’t find ways to cash in on opportunities, stranding four runners on the bases, three of them stranded in the final two innings of play.
“I definitely think that we were really aggressive,” Cook said. “I felt like we were seeing the ball and swinging at the right pitches. I don’t necessarily think we were swinging out of our plan, but we’re just going to have to adjust sooner and hit pitches harder.”
Bulldog pitching kept them alive in the later innings, with Aspen Wesley getting out of two massive jams with two or more runners on base.
Hoffman did the most damage for Arkansas (25-9, 6-4 SEC) offensively, recording three hits and three RBIs, but her two homers were the lone mistakes on the day for Bulldogs starter Matalasi Faapito.
She gave up three earned runs in 3.1 innings of play and despite a number of Arkansas rallies, regaining the lead was within reach.
It was just a situation of getting beat rather than beating themselves as Delce held the Bulldogs scoreless after that strong first inning.
“The message is to continue what we do best, focus on us and play our game,” Ricketts said. “I think a big part of that is being loose and playing with some energy. I thought we kind of went away from that today.”
Mississippi State expects to see her pitch again in the circle this weekend, something they’ve already accounted for and planned for heading into the series.
This was the type of the game the Bulldogs expected from the Razorbacks, one that would come down to last at-bats, and a few crucial mistakes and missed opportunities proved to be the difference-makers.
They’ll have another crack at it at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“That was really the message, just come back and play our game tomorrow, focus on the details and see where they goes,” Ricketts said.
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