OKLAHOMA CITY – Junior All-American pitcher Alyssa Faircloth had a less-than-ideal start in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series.
Faircloth hit the first Texas Tech batter of the game and gave up a two-run home run the following at-bat. Tech’s offense took its momentum into the second, using two RBI doubles to go up 4-0 early.
Head coach Samantha Ricketts said she sensed timidness and nerves from Faircloth, especially in the first inning.
“Against that lineup, you’ve got to be on. There’s no let up,” Ricketts said. “I think they did a really good job of bringing the ball up and making her bring the ball up and come in the zone.”
Senior Peja Goold came in for State and kept the Texas Tech offense at bay for two innings, but the Red Raiders’ offense got rolling again. Texas Tech put up a four-spot in the fifth, en route to an 8-0, run-rule victory for the Red Raiders.
Even with the rough ending, Ricketts said she thought it was the best Goold had looked in “the last couple of weeks.”
Jackie Lis was the leader of Tech’s offense. She had two hits and three RBI in her three plate appearances. Mia Williams, Kaitlyn Terry, Mihiya Davis and Lauren Allred rounded out the Texas Tech scoring.
State’s offense struggled mightily against Tech’s top-two arms. Senior superstar Nijaree Canady pitched the first four innings, tallying three strikeouts and allowing just two hits.
“I mean she’s a great pitcher,” freshman Kinley Keller said. “We just came in with the plan (that) we’re going to attack her first pitch, and I think we kind of waited on that until the third inning.”
MSU looked its best in the fourth inning, putting three hard-hit outs in play and getting two runners on base. How did the Red Raiders respond? By bringing in their other star pitcher, Kaitlyn Terry. She went the rest of the way, which resulted in just one inning, and took down State in order.
The Bulldogs ended with just two hits, one for sophomore Morgan Stiles and one for Keller.
“They’re both different looks, both kind of throw with a lot of velocity,” Ricketts said on the challenge of facing both Canady and Terry. “When you’ve got a lineup like that and pitchers that are just these incredible athletes that can also hit, it gives them a lot of tools.”
State’s historic run isn’t over just yet. MSU will play the loser of Texas and Tennessee in an elimination game on Friday. Ricketts said the process of flushing Thursday’s game out starts now.
“It’s the belief that we belong here, that we’re here to compete, and that we expect to win, and that we’re going to play Mississippi State softball and let it fall where it may,” Ricketts said. “I think that was the biggest message, they need to start talking like that and believing it now, and not wait until tomorrow when it’s too late.”
Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.
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