TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Mississippi State silenced one of the most hostile environments in college softball in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader with a 9-1, six-inning victory over Alabama at Rhoads Stadium. But the Crimson Tide battled back to earn a split in the second game, beating the Bulldogs 7-4.

In both games, No. 19 MSU jumped on Alabama starter Jocelyn Briski in the first inning. As usual, it all started with Sierra Sacco at the top of the lineup. Sacco drew a walk to lead off the opener, scooted to third on Nadia Barbary’s single and scored on a one-out infield hit by Jessie Blaine.

The Bulldogs’ star center fielder was in the middle of a two-out rally an inning later. Following a walk to Morgan Stiles, Sacco laced a liner into left-center for an RBI double, then came home on Barbary’s second single of the day.

“We know (Briski) is drop ball heavy, so I was just hunting that early,” Sacco said. “I know what she’s going to throw and what she’s good at, so I’m going to hit her best pitch and try to get on base early for my team and score runs.”

MSU (23-5, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) put on a power display in the later innings against the Crimson Tide’s bullpen. Blaine led off the fifth with a blast to left-center, and although she has put up excellent numbers with an on-base percentage north of .500, the home run was her first of the year. Morgan Bernardini added a solo shot of her own later in the fifth, and Blaine drove in her third run of the game with another RBI single in the sixth.

Kylee Edwards followed Blaine’s final hit with a three-run homer, her sixth of the season, to put the game into run-rule territory for Bulldogs ace Raelin Chaffin.

“For Jessie to get that first one off her back, she’s just been working so hard for us,” MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Love seeing it from different people in the lineup. That’s something we’ve done really well this year. Giving us a chance to give Raelin a cushion, especially in a tough place to play here.”

Chaffin dealt with traffic on the basepaths in every inning but navigated her way out of one jam after another. She held Alabama (21-8, 1-1) scoreless after a leadoff double in the second, then stranded the bases loaded in the third. The Crimson Tide’s only run came on a throwing error in the fifth. Chaffin allowed eight hits and three walks, but struck out seven in the six-inning complete game on 121 pitches.

Alabama was 3-for-16 with runners on base and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

“I was mixing a lot. My changeup was one that I got a lot of swings and misses on,” Chaffin said. “They’re a really aggressive team, so we just had to keep mixing it up the entire game.”

Briski lasted just two innings in the first game, so the Crimson Tide started her again in the nightcap, and Sacco led off with an infield single and took second on a throwing error. Barbary again drove her in with a single to give the Bulldogs another first-inning lead.

Alabama was all over MSU starter Delainey Everett, though, starting the bottom of the first with four straight hits. Audrey Vandagriff stumbled around second and was backpicked by Sacco, so those hits did not result in a run, but Kali Heivilin’s sacrifice fly tied the game, and Brooke Ellestad hit a two-run triple that just popped out of a diving Kiarra Sells’ glove put the Crimson Tide on top 3-1.

The Bulldogs battled back in the fourth, taking advantage of Ellestad’s third error of the game at third base. Stiles tied the game with a two-run double, then came home on a single from Sacco. But Josey Marron, who has dealt with command issues throughout the year, ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth after taking over for Everett in the circle. She walked in the tying and go-ahead runs to give Alabama the lead for good.

“It’s confidence. Her stuff is good and we trust her. We trust her stuff,” Ricketts said. “We have to be able to utilize Josey. She’s closer. We’re seeing it every outing. The ball is moving like it needs to. It’s just having her trust her stuff, trust her defense in those tight moments. That’s kind of the final hurdle she’s going to need to get over for us.”

The hosts stayed on top thanks in part to an old friend of MSU’s. Salen Hawkins was the Bulldogs’ starting second baseman as a freshman last year, and after transferring to Alabama, she has shifted over to shortstop, and she started three sparkling double plays in Friday’s second game. The last of them came with runners at second and third and one out in the fifth when Hawkins snagged a low line drive and doubled off Sells at third base.

Abby Duchscherer gave the Crimson Tide a pair of insurance runs with a two-run homer in the sixth, but Alabama would not need those runs as Alea Johnson was excellent in three innings of relief, allowing just one hit.

The teams will play the deciding game of the series on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s tough. You go from run-ruling them to being down,” Sacco said. “It’s just about trying to get the momentum to shift in our favor Sunday. That’s all we can do now.”