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Cowbell Corner

Faircloth Shines but Mississippi State Falls to No. 1 Tennessee in Ninth-Inning Thriller

Mississippi State went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Tennessee for most of the night before a ninth-inning homer gave the top-ranked Vols the edge.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Alyssa Faircloth reacts after a pitch against No. 1 Tennessee on Friday.
Mississippi State pitcher Alyssa Faircloth reacts after a pitch against No. 1 Tennessee on Friday. | Mississippi State Athletics

If you showed someone the box score without the ninth inning, they’d assume Mississippi State and Tennessee played to a draw.

And honestly, for most of Friday night, that’s exactly what it felt like. Two of the best pitching staffs in the country trading punches, neither giving an inch, both daring the other to blink first.

Mississippi State didn’t get the win, but the Bulldogs absolutely hung with the No. 1 team in the nation. And in a series where every run is going to feel like a small miracle, that matters.

Alyssa Faircloth looked like she belonged on this stage from pitch one. Nine innings. Nine strikeouts. A double play she started herself. A shutdown seventh where the defense cut down a runner at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

"Today, I felt good. I turned my brain off and went out there, trusted our plan and trusted the work that I put in beforehand,” Faircloth said after the game. “We really wanted to use my strengths rather than pitch to their weaknesses, which I think worked out for us for the most part. I'm glad that my teammates had my back defensively. We made some really great plays, heads-up plays, and I think it was an all-around good performance other than the one pitch."

For her first SEC start, it was about as composed as you could ask for. Tennessee had traffic here and there, but nothing came easy.

"I love the start and the outing from Alyssa Faircloth," Bulldogs’ coach Samantha Ricketts said. "She really did what she's done all year long for us. She's just a competitor. She wants it. She wasn't afraid of the challenge, and I hate that we couldn't find a way to score some runs early. If she continues to throw like that, she is going to win a lot of games at this conference, so I'm really proud of her."

The same was true on the other side. Neither team had a hit until the fourth. Neither reached second until the seventh. It was the kind of game where every baserunner felt like a storyline.

Eventually, someone had to break through, and Tennessee finally did with a two‑out, three‑run homer in the ninth. That’s the swing that separated the teams on paper, but it didn’t end the night. Not even close.

Taylor Troutman stepped in for her first SEC at‑bat and launched a pinch‑hit homer to left, cutting the deficit to two and giving the Bulldogs a spark. Then Nadia Barbary, who’s been on a steady tear lately, sent a deep fly to the warning track that had just enough hang time for Tennessee to track it down.

A few feet the other way and we’re talking about a very different finish.

So yes, it goes down as a loss.

But Mississippi State didn’t look overwhelmed, outmatched, or out of place. They went toe‑to‑toe with the top team in the country for eight innings and were one swing from flipping the whole thing.

The undefeated season is still on the table for Tennessee, but the Bulldogs showed they’re capable of ending it. And with two games left in the series, they’ll get more chances.

Game two is set for 2 p.m. Saturday on SECN+.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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