STARKVILLE — When Mississippi State sophomore second baseman Paige Cook grounded back to Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower to close the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday at Nusz Park, she left two runners on base as the Bulldogs missed a chance to score for the first time all weekend against the fifth-ranked Gators.
Half an hour later, by the time Mississippi State next came up to bat, that opportunity was gone.
The Bulldogs went into the top of the seventh trailing by a single run and came out of a torturous 25-minute frame down by 10 as the Gators (20-2, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) scored nine runs on six hits and three errors to ice Saturday’s game beyond a doubt. Mississippi State (15-10, 0-5 SEC) was shut out for the third consecutive game and the fourth time in five contests with a 10-0 loss.
“We still believe we’re a good hitting team, and we need to be able to trust that and attack a little bit better,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said.
The Bulldogs had four hits against starter Natalie Lugo, who went five-plus innings, and Hightower, who came on in relief in the sixth and earned the save. Mississippi State left six runners on base, including two in that critical bottom of the sixth as senior catcher Mia Davidson and graduate first baseman Fa Leilua reached to open the inning.
But senior designated player Carter Spexarth grounded into a 5-4 double play and was herself nearly thrown out at first base, and Cook’s comebacker was snared by Hightower to retire the side.
Chalk it down as another missed opportunity over the past two weeks for a Bulldogs team that could once hit with the SEC’s best but has struggled to manufacture that offense ever since conference play started Feb. 13 at Ole Miss. Mississippi State scored a single run in that series, a sweep by the Rebels, and has yet to score against the Gators.
“We’ve got to quit leaving runners on when we get them out there, especially in the middle part of our order,” Ricketts said. “I think it’s kind of been the story of the last week: runners in scoring position with no outs, a lot of the time, and we can’t find a way to have a situational hit.
“It doesn’t even need to be a hit: I’ll take a sac fly, ground ball to second — things that we work on all the time,” she added. “I think that we need to do a better job of being disciplined to pick up some of these runs.”
Still, the Bulldogs were competitive with one of the best teams in the country for the second straight day — through six innings, anyway. A trio of pitchers — fifth-year senior Alyssa Loza, sophomore Aspen Wesley and senior Emily Williams kept the Gators at bay for six innings. Mississippi State pitching combined to strand nine Florida baserunners through the first six frames, including two in the first, three in the third and two in the sixth.
“Our pitchers have done a great job,” Ricketts said. They’ve done exactly what we’ve asked of them really over the last couple weeks and given us a chance.”
But after the Bulldogs came up short after Davidson was hit by a pitch and Leilua walked to open the sixth, Florida made Mississippi State pay for missing its premier opportunity at the plate.
After an error bookended by singles loaded the bases with none out, Williams walked freshman right fielder Avery Goelz on four pitches to force in a run. One out later, fifth-year senior left fielder Jaimie Hoover dropped down a bunt on which the Bulldogs couldn’t make a play at the plate in time.
On a ball that just dropped in shallow right field, junior right fielder Anna Kate Segars misfired on her throw to second for an attempted forceout, and two runs came in. Florida junior center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey scored two with a base hit, and senior second baseman Hannah Adams and fifth-year senior first baseman Kendyl Lindaman went back-to-back with home runs. Suddenly, the Gators’ lead was up to 10 runs as the game was blown wide open. Loza returned to the circle and finished the inning, but the Bulldogs couldn’t score in the bottom of the inning as they dropped their fifth straight SEC game.
Mississippi State will try to avoid a sixth consecutive loss and stave off a second straight series sweep in Sunday’s 11 a.m. series finale.
Friday: No. 5 Florida 1, Mississippi State 0
Former Bulldog Kinsey Goelz returned to Nusz Park as a Gator on Friday and sank her old team in the process.
Goelz, who transferred to Florida after the 2019 season, started at shortstop for the Gators and hit a two-out solo home run to left field off Annie Willis in the fourth inning. It was the only run the Bulldogs allowed, but against Hightower, it was enough.
Mississippi State had six hits, left seven runners on base and was shut out for the third time in four games by the Gators in a 1-0 loss.
Ricketts praised the Bulldogs’ errorless defense but again noted her team had missed opportunities on offense.
“I thought we played a clean game,” she said in a press release. “They capitalized on Annie’s mistake, but I liked her bounce-back in the first inning and the rest of the game on from there. I just think it comes down to execution and picking up some of those runs that we left out there on the bases for a couple of innings.”
After the Gators put their first three batters aboard to lead off the game, Willis and the Bulldogs walked the tightrope to perfection. Two straight grounders to second resulted in forceouts at the plate, and Willis struck out Emily Wilkie to end the inning.
“I saw a lot of excitement and energy, which is what we’re asking for and really a lot of grit from Annie to dig deep,” Ricketts said. “That’s a tough situation to be in, and the numbers say that it’s very likely that you give up a run when you get runners on third and bases loaded with no outs. I really liked how she dug down deep and for the defense to play behind her and not speed themselves up in a pressure situation. It was a good sign for us.”
But the Bulldogs came up short in similar situations later in the game. In the bottom of the fourth, Mississippi State’s Nos. 4-6 hitters all made outs after a Mia Davidson double and an infield single from Leilua put runners on the corners with nobody out.
With two on and one out in the sixth, the Bulldogs failed to score. In the seventh, Cook reached on a leadoff single but never got further than second base after a sacrifice bunt.
All for Alex
All 13 SEC teams, including the Bulldogs and Gators, wore teal uniforms or accents Saturday to honor the memory of Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox, who died of ovarian cancer in June 2018. Wilcox played a single season for the Bulldogs that spring while battling the disease known as the “silent killer.”
“It’s just such a special thing for us,” Ricketts said.
The conference was set to hold the annual “All for Alex” day last March but never got the chance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ricketts said the idea came from LSU coach Beth Torina, whose mother Betty Dieter survived Stage III ovarian cancer.
Symptoms of the disease include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating and urinary urgency or frequency, but they can often be overlooked.
“Our hope is that we’re able to help the next young woman that comes along to maybe catch ovarian cancer earlier,” Ricketts said. “So often, the symptoms are just ignored because they are so mild.”
The Bulldogs and Wilcox’s father Shaun have come together to use Wilcox’s experience as a way to spread awareness for the disease, which often goes undetected.
“If using Alex’s name or story or platform can prevent one more young lady from dying way too young, then we know it was worth it,” Ricketts said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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