Cook Homers In Series-Opening Loss To No. 10 Arkansas

Friday, March 31

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

23-11, 3-3

#10 Arkansas

25-9, 6-4

Arkansas

Mississippi State

Cook Homers In Series-Opening Loss To No. 10 Arkansas

March 31, 2023 | Softball

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By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Home runs were the story on Friday afternoon, as Mississippi State dropped the series opener to No. 10 Arkansas, 4-2.

Paige Cook opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, but Arkansas' Kacie Hoffmann answered with a solo shot in the second and a two-run blast of her own in the fourth. The Razorbacks (25-9, 6-4 SEC) added one more run on a double in the sixth.

"We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew two runs early on probably wasn't going to be enough," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Really, the focus is to control what we can control and focus on the next pitch in the next inning. You can't go back and take back a pitch that you let go by or a pitch that you swung at. It's focusing on our process, trying to do the little things right, and looking up at the end of the game to see how it shows up on the scoreboard."

State stranded two runners in the bottom of the sixth after getting the help of a walk, hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch. The Bulldogs (23-11, 3-3 SEC) also got their leadoff batter aboard to start the seventh, but a strikeout and two infield grounders ended the ballgame.

Aspen Wesley shut down Arkansas out of the bullpen. After entering with runners on second and third and no outs, Wesley struck out the first three hitters she faced. She finished the game with four strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless frames.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on Arkansas' pitching…
"[Chenise Delce] is a great pitcher. She's reigning SEC pitcher of the year for a reason. I like our approach to be aggressive and try to attack pitches in the zone a little bit. I thought we did a good job eliminating the strike outs, which is something she typically gets a lot of as well. I think just more competitive at bats within our plans up and down the lineup will be what we need to put more runs up on the board. I like the attack early. Paige was definitely seeing the ball well. We have to have a little bit more support and quality at bats up and down the lineup."

Samantha Ricketts on Paige Cook's recent performances…
"Before the season, I thought she was the one that was under the radar that nobody talked about. She's been a very consistent presence for us in the lineup. A lot of it is her mindset. She always thinks she's going to get a hit. She's really hard to bring down. She's really hard to get discouraged in the box. It's fun to see that confidence show up in the box, and that's really what hitting is half the time. She's such a great athlete that can do a lot of that for us."

Paige Cook on her approach at the plate…
"[I was] just trying to keep it simple, not trying to overdo it or do too much. I know I can get a little bit ahead of myself, and get out of my plan a little bit. I just chose to stick with my plan a little bit more, see the ball and hit it."

Paige Cook on adjustments for the rest of the series…
"I definitely think we were really aggressive. I feel like we were seeing the ball and swinging at the right pitches. I don't necessarily think we were swinging outside of our plan. We're just going to have to adjust a bit sooner, and swing a little bit harder."

Quick Hitters

Paige Cook – Hit a two-run homer and has home runs in back-to-back games … leads the team with eight home runs this year … went 2-for-2 for her ninth multi-hit game of the year … also walked once.

Macy Graf – Was hit by a pitch twice … has reached base in all six of MSU's games in conference play.

Riley Hull – Singled to open the seventh.

Aspen Wesley – Struck out the side in relief after entering with runners on second and third … did not allow a run to score … struck out four in 2.0 innings ... recorded her 200th career strikeout.

Scoring Recap

Bottom 1
With one out in the bottom of the first, Macy Graf was hit by a pitch. Chloe Malau'ulu would reach on a fielder's choice that saw Graf retired at second, before Paige Cook hit a two-run homer.
No. 10 Arkansas 0, Mississippi State 2

Top 2
Kacie Hoffman hit a solo home run with two outs to cut the Bulldog lead in half.
No. 10 Arkansas 1, Mississippi State 2

Top 4
Cylie Halvorson doubled with one out, before Hoffman hit a two-run homer to take the lead.
No. 10 Arkansas 3, Mississippi State 2

Top 6
Cylie Halvorson led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kacie Hoffman singled, and moved Halvorson to third. Lauren Camenzind's double scored Halvorson.
No. 10 Arkansas 4, Mississippi State 2

On Deck

The series continues at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday with the game airing on SEC Network+. It's the Bulldogs' annual Breast Cancer Awareness game sponsored by OCH Regional Medical Center. Bulldog alumni will also be recognized on the field throughout the game.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."