Jackie McKenna and Chloe Malau’uly each drove in three runs as the Mississippi State softball team evened its series with No. 11 Tennessee with an 8-3 win over the Volunteers on Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee.
McKenna slammed a three-run home run to right during a four-run third inning, while Malau’uly hit a two-run home run and an RBI double for the Bulldogs (24-10, 5-3 Southeastern Conference).
“I thought it was going to be off the wall,” McKenna said of her home run. “It’s a really high wall. I mean I knew I hit it hard. I had a 2-0 count, so I was looking for that pitch. I just put my bat to it, made a good swing, and the wind took it out.”
The eight-run output was fitting on a day when the Bulldogs and the rest of the SEC were honoring the late Alex Wilcox on All for Alex Day.
“It definitely means more for us. We talked about it this morning during our film review session,” Bulldogs coach Samantha Ricketts said. “The final message was why we’re wearing this color and continuing to remember that we’re the ones carrying the torch and get to continue sharing her story and her legacy. Let’s do this for Alex. Do this for Eight. Let’s go out there like she would have. We know that’s when we play our best, when we’re loose and enjoying each other in the dugout, which is exactly what she would have been doing.”
The Bulldogs never trailed. After Malau’ulu’s homer in the first, Tennessee (24-10, 6-4 SEC) scored twice in in the bottom half of the inning, but MSU then scored four runs on home runs by Mia Davidson and McKenna in the third. State picked up two more on Malau’ulu’s double and a base hit from Paige Cook in the fourth.
Vols pushed one final run across in the seventh to result in the final score.
Kenley Hawk started and threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing three hits for her 10th win of the season. Annie Willis got the final five courts, striking out three.
State won its first game in Knoxville since defeating then-No. 4 Tennessee 11-7 on April 20, 2014
The teams will wrap up the series at 11 a.m. Sunday in Knoxville.
Friday
Baseball
Asbury 4-12, The W 3-2: The Owls managed just three hits and were charged with four errors in the second game of a doubleheader in Millington, Tennessee.
Blaize Gann tripled to score Thomas Tucker, who had singled, in the bottom of the first for the Owls, but by the time they scored again they were facing an 8-1 deficit. Bo Linton walked leading off the fifth, went to second on a ground ball, took third on a single and scored on a wild pitch.
Second baseman Landon Clark had the only other hit for the Owls, and he also pitched 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
In the opener, the Owls rallied with a run in the eighth and a run in the night but could not forge a tie.
Baker Watson singled and scored on a double by Gann in the eighth inning, and Tanner Evans homered in the bottom of the ninth for The W (7-14). Landon Clark’s fifth-inning home run provided the first Owls run.
Kirby Ross allowed three hits and two runs while striking out nine over seven innings for the Owls but took the loss. Both runs scored against reliever Brandon Fenimore were unearned.
Men’s tennis
Mississippi State 4, Auburn 3
Singles: Tyler Stice (AU) d. Florian Broska 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) d. Jan Galka 6-3, 6-1; Tad Maclean (AU) d. Carles Hernandez 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) d. Raul Dobai 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Alberto Colas (MSU) d. Will Nolan 6-3, 6-2; Finn Murgett (AU) d. Davide Tortora 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Doubles: Maclean-Murgett (AU) d. Broska-Ramskogler 6-4; Hernandez-Malesevic (MSU) d. Stice-Galka 6-3; Colas-Tortora (MSU) d. Dobai-Josh Raab 7-5.
Site: Yarbrough Tennis Center, Auburn, Ala.
Records: Mississippi State (13-8, 3-5 SEC), Auburn (15-5, 4-3 SEC).
Football
EMCC to offer June camps
East Mississippi Community College is scheduled to conduct two summer football camps during the month of June on the Scooba campus.
EMCC will first conduct a 7-on-7 Team Tournament at Sullivan-Windham Field on Wednesday, June 8. At a cost of $20 per player, which includes lunch, registration for the 7-on-7 event will begin at 9 a.m. with the tournament kicking off at 10 a.m. For additional information on the Lions’ 7-on-7 Team Tournament, contact EMCC assistant football coach David Boykin at [email protected] or 662-476-5131.
East Mississippi will offer a three-day Lineman Camp, June 21-23, for student-athletes entering grades 9-12. With registration scheduled between 1-3 p.m. on June 21, fees for the camp are $200 per overnight camper and $150 per day camper. Please contact EMCC assistant football coach Cade Wilkerson at [email protected] or 662-476-8462 for more information on the Lineman Camp.
Additional information on East Mississippi Community College’s upcoming football camps can be found at www.EMCCAthletics.com.
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