Wednesday, May 6
Lexington, Ky.
Approx. 1 p.m. (35 minutes after Game 1)
Mississippi State
38-18
0
vs
3
#9 Arkansas
42-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 3 | 6 | 1 |
Photo by: UK Athletics
Bulldogs’ SEC Tournament Run Ends In Shutout To No. 9 Arkansas
May 06, 2026 | Softball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A pair of home runs were the difference on Wednesday as No. 19 Mississippi State lost to No. 9 Arkansas, 3-0, at the SEC Tournament.
The Razorbacks (42-10, 15-9 SEC) got a solo homer in the second and added a two-run shot in the fifth as they shut out State (38-18, 9-15 SEC). The Bulldogs threatened in the fourth, putting the first two batters on base on a single from Nadia Barbary and a walk to Xiane Romero, but the next three hitters went down in order.
"A big credit to Arkansas, we knew it was going to be a tough matchup," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I like the way that we came out, really good at-bats to start the game, but the reality is, we've got to really pick it up offensively and find the way to score some runs for our pitchers. We're doing everything we need to in the circle and on defense and just really haven't shown what we're capable of the last few weeks, offensively. [Arkansas' Payton] Burnham did a really good job of keeping us off-balance, but I would have liked to see us come through when we had couple runners on base with nobody out there in the middle game. That was kind of the switch."
Kinley Keller continued her hot start to her first postseason with a two-out double in the sixth. The freshman finished her first SEC Tournament going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a walk.
Alyssa Faircloth threw her 11th complete game of the year, striking out a pair.
"I'm just running through the ball where it's going to go and just getting there. You know, making a catch as fast as I can."
Nadia Barbary on what Arkansas pitching did against State in the box…
"She's a good pitcher, but we're also a good offense and we didn't stick to our plan that we set pregame. And so we just need to go up knowing we're capable of hitting her. We faced her multiple times when we played in conference and know we'll probably see them again and need to capitalize the next time."
Alyssa Faircloth – Broke the MSU single-season record for strikeouts looking with her 58th of the year.
Kinley Keller – Doubled for the second day in a row … 3-for-4 in the SEC Tournament with a walk and a pair of doubles.
Tianna Bell led off with a home run to center.
No. 19 Mississippi State 0, No. 9 Arkansas 1
Bottom 5
Atalyia Rijo led off with a double before Kailey Wyckoff homered to right.
No. 19 Mississippi State 0, No. 9 Arkansas 3
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
The Razorbacks (42-10, 15-9 SEC) got a solo homer in the second and added a two-run shot in the fifth as they shut out State (38-18, 9-15 SEC). The Bulldogs threatened in the fourth, putting the first two batters on base on a single from Nadia Barbary and a walk to Xiane Romero, but the next three hitters went down in order.
"A big credit to Arkansas, we knew it was going to be a tough matchup," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I like the way that we came out, really good at-bats to start the game, but the reality is, we've got to really pick it up offensively and find the way to score some runs for our pitchers. We're doing everything we need to in the circle and on defense and just really haven't shown what we're capable of the last few weeks, offensively. [Arkansas' Payton] Burnham did a really good job of keeping us off-balance, but I would have liked to see us come through when we had couple runners on base with nobody out there in the middle game. That was kind of the switch."
Kinley Keller continued her hot start to her first postseason with a two-out double in the sixth. The freshman finished her first SEC Tournament going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a walk.
Alyssa Faircloth threw her 11th complete game of the year, striking out a pair.
Quotables
Kinley Keller on her reads on fly balls in the outfield…"I'm just running through the ball where it's going to go and just getting there. You know, making a catch as fast as I can."
Nadia Barbary on what Arkansas pitching did against State in the box…
"She's a good pitcher, but we're also a good offense and we didn't stick to our plan that we set pregame. And so we just need to go up knowing we're capable of hitting her. We faced her multiple times when we played in conference and know we'll probably see them again and need to capitalize the next time."
Quick Hitters
Nadia Barbary – Reached 199 career hits at MSU … looking to become the 13th player in program history to reach the 200-hit milestone.Alyssa Faircloth – Broke the MSU single-season record for strikeouts looking with her 58th of the year.
Kinley Keller – Doubled for the second day in a row … 3-for-4 in the SEC Tournament with a walk and a pair of doubles.
Scoring Recap
Bottom 2Tianna Bell led off with a home run to center.
No. 19 Mississippi State 0, No. 9 Arkansas 1
Bottom 5
Atalyia Rijo led off with a double before Kailey Wyckoff homered to right.
No. 19 Mississippi State 0, No. 9 Arkansas 3
Next Up
MSU will now await its NCAA Tournament destination. The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday, May 10 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Payton Burnham (12-3)
L: Faircloth, Alyssa (13-7)
Batting:
2B: Keller, Kinley 1
Batting:
2B: Atalyia Rijo 1
HR: Tianna Bell 1 ; Kailey Wyckoff 1
RBI: Tianna Bell 1 ; Kailey Wyckoff 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Tianna Bell 1 ; Atalyia Rijo 1 ; Kailey Wyckoff 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
cf/rf
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
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