STARKVILLE — It only made sense for a senior to come up with a big hit, and for Mississippi State softball, that moment belonged to Shea Moreno.
Moreno, who participated in senior day ceremonies Saturday afternoon at Nusz Park connected on a fifth-inning grand slam to lead MSU to a 12-6 six-inning upset (weather) of No. 20 Kentucky, and the team’s first Southeastern Conference series win since early March against South Carolina.
The Bulldogs (26-22, 5-14 SEC) trailed Kentucky (28-17-1, 8-12 SEC), 6-3 before a five-run fifth-inning, followed by a five-run sixth, pulled them in front for its second consecutive SEC win. MSU received two, two-run homers in the sixth inning, one from Paige Cook and the other from Jackie McKenna, who began the big fifth-inning with an RBI single, to pull away from the Wildcats.
The Bulldogs had lost 14 straight conference games entering the weekend.
MSU, who broke the program record for most homers against an SEC opponent, had to battle back from a 5-0 deficit after Kentucky’s four-run first inning, while adding another in the second, before Madisyn Kennedy hit her first of two homers in the game to get the Bulldogs on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame. She also hit one in MSU’s big sixth inning.
McKenna added an RBI double in the third before the Wildcats increased its lead to 6-3 in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Taylor Ebbs.
It was all MSU from there.
Sunday’s series rubber match is scheduled for noon (SEC+).
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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