It’s looking like Mississippi State’s shutout loss to Northwestern State on Sunday was simply a one-game blip.
The No. 21 Bulldogs bounced back three days later by scoring four runs in the first inning and never looking back in a 14-1, five-inning victory at Nusz Park over Louisiana, perennially one of the top mid-major programs in college softball. MSU banged out a season-high 17 hits in the win, with every starter hitting safely at least once.
“Really happy with the way we responded,” Bulldogs head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “We knew Sunday that we didn’t play our best ball, and it’s going to be something we have to be able to bring every day. That’s what mature teams do. I loved the response. We came out and we played Mississippi State softball. It was being aggressive, it was attacking, it was being the ones who wanted to be here and wanted to have the most fun.”
MSU (19-3) had four runs on the board before making an out. Sierra Sacco and Nadia Barbary led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles, and Kiarra Sells hit an RBI double to the right-center gap to bring Sacco home for the game’s first run.
Lexi Sosa then hit her seventh home run of the season, a three-run blast to the opposite field, to make it a 4-0 ballgame.
“Sunday wasn’t fun, but we just (had) to put it in the past and keep moving forward,” Sosa said. “It started with Monday’s practice and just coming back and getting to work and really focusing on making those adjustments in the box. It really paid off today.”
The Bulldogs broke the game wide open with a six-run second that included a two-run homer by Sacco, her fifth of the year. Morgan Bernardini, Jessie Blaine and Xiane Romero all hit RBI singles. Ella Wesolowski, who missed 15 games in February with a concussion, hit her first long ball of the year in the third.
LSU transfer Raelin Chaffin went the distance in the pitcher’s circle, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts over five innings. The Ragin’ Cajuns (11-7) picked up their lone run in the third before Chaffin retired the last six batters she faced.
Chaffin improved her record to 10-1 with a 1.14 ERA in 61 ⅔ innings, and she has struck out 78 batters against just 14 walks.
“It’s been really easy this season working with (pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney),” Chaffin said. “I know I’ve pitched a lot of innings right now, but I’ve never felt better. I feel really, really good out there.”
MSU opens Southeastern Conference play with a three-game home series against No. 18 Auburn starting Saturday. The Tigers are 20-1 under first-year head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux and hold the top spot in the latest RPI rankings, so these would be three high-quality wins if the Bulldogs can get them.
“We’re excited. SEC play is always a challenge, and that’s exactly why everyone’s here. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love that challenge,” Ricketts said. “The goal is the postseason, to set ourselves up well for that. Auburn is a quality team, they’re really playing well right now with a new coaching staff, and we know we need to be locked in and ready to play our best game all three days.”
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