Sierra Sacco needed just one pitch to hit more home runs against Louisiana Tech than she hit in two years for Louisiana Tech.
While Sacco has been a productive and speedy leadoff hitter throughout her career, power has never been a big part of her game. But she led off Mississippi State’s half of the first inning Saturday against her former team and homered to right-center field on the first pitch she saw. An inning later, Sacco hit a grand slam to break the game open, leading MSU to a 10-1, five-inning victory in Huntsville, Alabama.
“I knew going against them would be a good matchup,” Sacco said. “I was just focused on getting a good pitch that I could drive because that’s what I’ve been working on in the cages.”
The No. 17 Bulldogs defeated North Alabama later that day, then split Sunday’s two games against Jacksonville State and Miami-Ohio at the Rocket City Softball Showcase. With cold temperatures altering the tournament’s schedule, MSU played two games at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama, home to Minor League Baseball’s Rocket City Trash Pandas, and two games at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
Raelin Chaffin pitched four scoreless innings against Louisiana Tech and allowed just one hit, striking out nine and walking one. Sara Phillips allowed a run in the fifth, but MSU still finished the game early thanks to Sacco’s two homers and five RBI.
“Sierra is one of the best hitters in the country,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “I don’t think she gets enough credit for what she’s able to do. When she’s able to stand in, she can beat you over your head, beat you in front. She has all the tools you need to be elite at this level. It’s fun to see her grow year after year, and even as a senior add to her game. Her confidence and her ability to set the tone for us and pick up RBI is huge.”
Against North Alabama, the Bulldogs fell behind in the third inning, but Sacco’s RBI double put them on the board before MSU tied the game in the bottom of the third on a fielder’s choice. In the fifth, the Bulldogs took the lead for good on a throwing error, and Nadia Barbary provided some insurance with a two-run double in the sixth as MSU defeated the Lions 6-2.
Josey Marron gave up two earned runs on three hits over four innings, and left-hander Delainey Everett earned the win with three innings of scoreless relief.
“(Everett) is a competitor, and every time she’s out there, she’s going to bring the velocity,” Ricketts said. “She’s going to attack. She’s not afraid. The defense did a great job behind her of having her back.”
Jacksonville State ended the Bulldogs’ 11-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory Sunday as MSU could not solve Gamecocks ace Kat Carter, who allowed four hits with seven strikeouts in a complete-game shutout. Chaffin struck out 11 and yielded just two hits, but gave up three unearned runs in the fourth. Paige Ernstes, who was filling in for Barbary at third base, made two throwing errors that contributed to the three-run rally.
The Bulldogs then faced an early five-run deficit against the RedHawks, but scored seven runs in the bottom of the second en route to an 11-7 win over the four-time reigning MAC champions. Lexi Sosa picked up the win with four innings of scoreless relief, and she also hit a two-run homer in the third.
The big blow in the MSU second was a three-run shot by Kiarra Sells that gave the Bulldogs the lead. Morgan Bernardini also came up clutch with a two-run single, and she, Barbary and Kylee Edwards had two hits apiece.
MSU (13-2) heads back home for a midweek game Wednesday against UAB and will then host the Bulldog Invitational over the weekend against Alabama State, New Mexico and Northwestern State.
“There’s still a lot of room to grow and continue to learn and get better. I really liked our bounce-back today, though,” Ricketts said. “After going down five runs early, we just stayed composed and found a way to bounce back and respond and just chip away. It was a very mature response, especially coming off of that first game loss earlier.”
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