STARKVILLE — Mississippi State pitcher Leila Ammon and all of her teammates knew what she was working toward in the fifth inning, but no one dared mention it until the final out of a 9-0 win over Southeast Missouri on Tuesday.

She completed a no-hit, seven-strikeout performance in a run-rule win to start the midweek doubleheader perfectly for the Bulldogs.

“Honestly, I was kind of freaking out,” she said. “I knew my defense had my back, they’ve had it all season so far, so I just pounded the zone and trusted that they were going to get the outs.”

Ammon’s was the 27th no-hitter in program history, but the very first for the pitcher at any level, from youth softball on up. She and her teammates didn’t even acknowledge it until the job was done, but there was significant relief from the sophomore transfer.

“It’s kind of like a curse to say, ‘You know, you have a no-hitter,’ or a perfect game or anything like that,” she added. “I was glad that nobody told me because I was already internally freaking out. I’m glad they just kept me grounded.”

The performance in the circle was the foundation for a dominant win at the start of a doubleheader, which also saw six Bulldog batters record RBI hits with only three runners left on base.

The second game was a bit more contested, but a home run from Gabby Schaeffer and runs driven in from Des Rivera, Abigail Stevens and Nadia Barbary made the difference in a 4-0 win that saw MSU improve to 26-2.

It’s the best start to a season through nonconference play ever, with a winning percentage of .929, and head coach Samantha Ricketts pointed to quality pitching as a big reason why the team has been able to build momentum going into the SEC campaign.

“The pitchers have been a huge part of everything up to this part of the season,” Ricketts said. “Just having a full staff and being able to turn to any of the arms at any point has been really nice.

The return of Delainey Everett has added a strong arm out of the bullpen to help out a trio of starters who have given the team a lift from the effective but tiring approach of relying on Raelin Chaffin to pitch multiple times per series last year.

Ace Peja Goold got the start in the second game on Tuesday, followed by Everett and Alyssa Faircloth to finish up the shut out. They’ve kept up good starts to the campaign and are set for the biggest test yet against No. 1 Tennessee on Friday.

“Easing Delainey back into these last couple of weeks is going to be big for us moving forward,” Ricketts said. “Great starts from both of them. Leila has looked really sharp lately and, with her being a sophomore, is really exciting for us. With her, Peja and Alyssa, we really can start any of them at any time this weekend. Knowing we’ve got Delainey in relief, we’re still trying to piece her back in a little bit, too, but I really like what we’re seeing from our staff.”

The Bulldogs will begin their series against the Vols at Nusz Park on Saturday at 6 p.m.