Bulldogs Continue Strong Start With Complete Win Over Wofford

Mississippi State’s 9-1 win over Wofford didn’t hinge on one big swing or one dominant inning.

It felt more like a team slowly tightening the screws until the game finally tilted their way for good. By the time the sixth inning rolled around, the Bulldogs had worn Wofford down with steady pressure, timely contact, and the kind of depth that shows up in long weekends.

The tone was set early by Morgan Bernardini, who has quietly become one of the most reliable hitters in the lineup. Her RBI triple in the second inning got the scoring started and Tatum Silva followed with a clean single up the middle.

The fourth inning brought the highlight moment: Abby Grace Richardson turning a ball into the right‑center gap into an inside‑the‑park home run. It wasn’t a momentum swing as much as a reminder of how many different ways this lineup can create runs.

Even when Wofford answered with a run of its own in the bottom half, the Bulldogs never looked rattled. They simply went back to stacking quality at‑bats.

Bernardini’s sacrifice fly in the fifth pushed the lead back to three, and from there the game shifted into the kind of controlled pace Mississippi State has leaned on during its 16-1 start.

Ten hitters came to the plate, and five different players drove in a run. Abigail Stevens opened the frame with a pinch‑hit double. Morgan Stiles forced a defensive mistake. Nadia Barbary, Kiarra Sells, Kinley Keller, Des Rivera, and Paige Ernstes all found ways to move the line. Ernstes’ 13‑pitch walk was a small moment, but it summed up the inning: patient, steady, and relentless.

"I think it was just, you know, the process of the game and learning from earlier at bats and from each other," Bulldogs' coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think understanding team at-bats, and it's when they're trying to not get too big. We'll take a sac fly. We'll take a double and everyone was just kind of doing their job and understanding their role. I thought they did a really good job of that, whether it was the hitters in the lineup at the start or the ones coming in late in the game."

On the pitching side, Leila Ammon gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed. She worked 4.1 innings, struck out five, and allowed just one run. The bullpen followed with a quick close to the game. Alyssa Faircloth struck out the side on 10 pitches, and Delainey Everett got her first action of the season to finish it off.

A few trends continue to matter. Bernardini’s hitting and reached‑base streaks keep climbing. Rivera and Sells are turning in multi‑hit games with regularity. Stiles keeps finding ways to reach in the first inning. Barbary hasn’t made an error in 60 chances.

Mississippi State is playing clean, confident softball, and the pieces that were supposed to be strengths are showing up every day. It may be early in the season, but that’s great thing to see.

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