STARKVILLE — Matalasi Faapito wasn’t far from getting out of a major jam Saturday against No. 19 LSU at Nusz Park.

Coming in with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the sixth, Faapito got straight to work. The Mississippi State pitcher induced a flyout to shallow center field and snagged a comebacker for a fielder’s choice at home plate. She got ahead of the next batter, Ciara Briggs, running the count to 1-2.

But once again, the Bulldogs couldn’t make things easy on themselves.

Faapito missed the zone with the next two pitches, and Briggs took advantage by ripping the 3-2 offering into left center field for a three-run double.

“I thought Mata did a good job of limiting the damage there until the big hit,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said.

It capped a sixth inning featuring seven runs on four errors and just two hits as LSU (34-19, 13-10 Southeastern Conference) clinched the series against Mississippi State (31-24, 9-14 SEC) in Starkville by a score of 9-2.

MSU had just three hits against LSU’s Shelbi Sunseri and lost for the 10th time in 12 SEC games.

“We’ve got to find a way to get on a roll again,” Ricketts said. “I think we’ve really, for the past month, struggled offensively. In the past, we’ve been able to make up for the defensive errors or even for our pitching with our bats. We’ve gone cold, and it’s tough when you’re cold in all three phases.”

The Bulldogs quickly turned a pitchers’ duel into a blowout, promptly giving up the 1-0 lead they earned in the fifth with mistake after mistake the following half-inning.

Three errors and a walk tied the game. A hit batter put LSU ahead. A single and another walk added two more runs.

And, just as Mississippi State looked to regain some momentum by escaping the jam, Briggs smashed the ball past left fielder Chloe Malau’ulu to clear the bases.

Georgia Clark and Ali Newland added solo home runs in the seventh for LSU, which was quiet offensively through the first five innings but came out of the spell in a hurry.

The Tigers were helped by an MSU team unable to get outs. Second baseman Shea Moreno booted a leadoff grounder in the sixth, and first baseman Jackie McKenna couldn’t catch a throw to the bag on a sacrifice bunt attempt.

After Kenley Hawk walked Clark to load the bases, LSU equalized on a grounder to shortstop that Madisyn Kennedy couldn’t field as the Tigers’ baserunner crossed in front of her. Morgan Smith singled to the base of the wall in right field, and Aspen Wesley walked in a run.

The Bulldogs’ fourth error came on the throw back to the infield after Briggs’ double, allowing her to reach third base.

It was a near complete meltdown for a Mississippi State team that had played solid softball through the first five innings. The Bulldogs pushed across a run on a squeeze bunt by Moreno in the fifth as Brylie St. Clair raced home ahead of a mishandled toss home.

But Malau’ulu hit into a fielder’s choice to erase a runner at third, and Paige Cook flied out to right. MSU had missed another opportunity.

The Bulldogs stranded seven runners through the first five frames, including two each in the third, fourth and fifth.

Moreno flied out with two on and two out in the third, and pinch-hitter Jackie McKenna flied out in the same spot in the fourth.

“I think if we do pick up some runs early, it’s just a big sigh of relief,” Ricketts said. “Right now, it’s just compounding and building on each other and the pressure, and we’re just looking too far ahead and too much big-picture instead of what we can control, which is each pitch.”

Mia Davidson homered in the bottom of the seventh to get a run back for the Bulldogs, but her 21st homer of the season and 90th career long ball was too little, too late.

Now, it’s up to Mississippi State to find some momentum with one final regular-season game to play. MSU will look to avoid a sweep at noon Sunday before the SEC tournament next week in Gainesville, Florida.

“We’re looking for that answer and that magic formula to get us going again and get on a roll,” Ricketts said.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.