A five-run second inning was plenty for the Mississippi State softball team Friday evening in a 6-3 win over UC Riverside in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California.
The Bulldogs (11-2) touched UC Riverside starter Megan Casper for the five-spot and added a run in the third inning to stretch their lead to 6-1. The Highlanders got two late runs back in the top of the seventh.
“The girls really made some good adjustments today,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release from Mississippi State. “Many of our outs were even hard-hit balls. We’ve been waiting to see the pieces of our lineup all come together at the same time, and we really saw that in the big inning.”
Freshman second baseman Aquana Brownlee drove in two runs on an error to get the scoring started in the second, senior left fielder Candace Denis followed with a two-run double, and junior designated player Mia Davidson singled Denis home as the Bulldogs struck in quick succession.
In the third, freshman shortstop Madisyn Kennedy took Casper deep for a solo home run.
Freshman Aspen Wesley allowed two hits and a run in three innings in the circle for the Bulldogs, and senior Alyssa Loza allowed two runs over the next four innings. Both scores for UC Riverside against Loza came in the seventh inning.
With the victory, Mississippi State rebounded from yesterday’s 7-2 loss to No. 15/17 Oregon. The Bulldogs will face BYU at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and will then play San Diego State at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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