Mississippi State softball returns to Starkville this week after dropping another road series over the weekend, falling to No. 3 Florida in Gainesville after a walk-off defeat in Game 3 on Sunday.
The Bulldogs (33-9, 5-7 SEC) went on a roller coaster ride against the Gators, dropping a painful Game 1, 2-0, after a lights-out performance in the circle from Peja Goold, but exploding to life on offense in Game 2 with a 9-5 victory.
The rubber match came down to the final innings as well, but a heartbreaking walk-off in the home half of the seventh inning gave the Gators the series.
“I loved the fight that we showed after being down, and then, again, in the seventh,” MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said on Sunday. “Those are the lessons we have to take with us through the rest of the SEC, just continuing to show up and battle and know that it’s going to be a grind. I like the fight. I like the grit, and I think we’re in a position to use that to propel us moving forward.”
MSU will host the All for Alex Weekend starting this Friday, one of several annual tributes to the late former player, Alex Wilcox. The opponent making the trip is No. 9 Arkansas, MSU’s third Top-10 SEC opponent this season, and one that will demand the kind of offense the Bulldogs found in Gainesville.
The 9-5 Game 2 win saw the Bulldog batters post by far the biggest scoring tally in conference play thus far, scoring nine runs on 14 hits with a five-RBI outing from Paige Ernstes and home runs from Morgan Bernardini and Nadia Barbary.
“We saw a lot of the seniors stepping up and just wanting to answer back, and I think that’s just kind of the mindset we have to come out with and throw some punches every game,” Ricketts said. “Our pitchers are doing a phenomenal job, but we know with that offense over there, they’re going to give up some runs.”
MSU begins its series against Arkansas at Nusz Park at 5 p.m. Friday.
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