Saturday, March 23
Fayetteville, Ark.
2:00 PM
Mississippi State
23-7, 4-4
0
at
3
#18 Arkansas
24-7, 3-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Mississippi State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
Arkansas
1
0
1
0
0
1
X
3
6
0
State Falls On Saturday At No. 18 Arkansas
March 23, 2024 | Softball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 20/20 Mississippi State saw a second comeback attempt fall short on Saturday at No. 18/17 Arkansas, losing 3-0 to set up a decisive rubber match on Sunday.
Down 2-0, the Bulldogs (23-7, 4-4 SEC) put two runners on in the fifth with nobody out, but Arkansas' reliever Morgan Leinstock got out of the jam without allowing a run.
"I thought they did a good job of keeping us off balance," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We have to understand that you have to make adjustments early. You can't get out the same way. I just think, overall, we need to come out with more energy and ready to attack, not sitting back and waiting for something to happen for us."
The Razorbacks (24-7, 3-2 SEC) added a run in the bottom of the sixth on three hits to result in the final score.
Jessie Blaine doubled in the game to extend her hitting streak to five games. Paige Cook also extender her hitting streak to four games.
Josey Marron threw the whole game in the circle. Behind her the Bulldog defense made three diving catches and turned a pair of double plays. State has turned multiple double plays in five games now this year.
Jessie Blaine – Doubled once in two trips to the plate … made a diving catch on a foul pop up from her catcher position.
Paige Cook – Extended her hitting streak to four games.
Madisyn Kennedy – Extended her career-long reached-base streak to 17 games with a walk.
With two outs, Bri Ellis homered to left field.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 1
Bottom 3
With two outs, Nia Carter drew a walk. Ellis reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, and Carter advanced to second. Carter scored on Kennedy Miller's double off the diving third baseman's glove.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 2
Bottom 6
Ellis singled on a ball that was lost in the sun to open the frame. Miller doubled off the center field wall to put runners on second and third. Ally Sockey entered to run for Ellis, and Rylee Cloud ran for Miller at second. Hannah Gammil reached on a fielder's choice to third that saw Sockey thrown out between third and home. Cloud meanwhile advanced to third. She scored on Raigan Kramer's single through the right side.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 3
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Down 2-0, the Bulldogs (23-7, 4-4 SEC) put two runners on in the fifth with nobody out, but Arkansas' reliever Morgan Leinstock got out of the jam without allowing a run.
"I thought they did a good job of keeping us off balance," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We have to understand that you have to make adjustments early. You can't get out the same way. I just think, overall, we need to come out with more energy and ready to attack, not sitting back and waiting for something to happen for us."
The Razorbacks (24-7, 3-2 SEC) added a run in the bottom of the sixth on three hits to result in the final score.
Jessie Blaine doubled in the game to extend her hitting streak to five games. Paige Cook also extender her hitting streak to four games.
Josey Marron threw the whole game in the circle. Behind her the Bulldog defense made three diving catches and turned a pair of double plays. State has turned multiple double plays in five games now this year.
Quick Hitters
Through 30 Games – State has won 23 of its first 30 games, marking the second-best 30-game start in program history (26 wins in 2018) … the Bulldogs' 205 runs to this point in the season are their highest total through 30 games since 2004 and their .968 OPS and .444 on-base percentage are also their highest in that span.Jessie Blaine – Doubled once in two trips to the plate … made a diving catch on a foul pop up from her catcher position.
Paige Cook – Extended her hitting streak to four games.
Madisyn Kennedy – Extended her career-long reached-base streak to 17 games with a walk.
Scoring Recap
Bottom 1With two outs, Bri Ellis homered to left field.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 1
Bottom 3
With two outs, Nia Carter drew a walk. Ellis reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, and Carter advanced to second. Carter scored on Kennedy Miller's double off the diving third baseman's glove.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 2
Bottom 6
Ellis singled on a ball that was lost in the sun to open the frame. Miller doubled off the center field wall to put runners on second and third. Ally Sockey entered to run for Ellis, and Rylee Cloud ran for Miller at second. Hannah Gammil reached on a fielder's choice to third that saw Sockey thrown out between third and home. Cloud meanwhile advanced to third. She scored on Raigan Kramer's single through the right side.
No. 20 Mississippi State 0, No. 18 Arkansas 3
Next Up
The Bulldogs and Razorbacks will play the rubber match of the series on Sunday at noon CT. The series finale will air on SEC Network+.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hannah Camenzind (7-0)
L: Marron, Josey (8-3)
S: Morgan Leinstock (1)
Batting:
2B: Blaine, Jessie 1
Batting:
2B: Kennedy Miller 2
HR: Bri Ellis 1
RBI: Bri Ellis 1 ; Kennedy Miller 1 ; Raigan Kramer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nia Carter 1 ; Bri Ellis 1 ; Rylee Cloud 1
HBP: Kennedy Miller 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ SoftballUTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
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