Cowbell Corner

Leila Ammon’s No-Hitter Highlights Mississippi State Doubleheader Sweep

Mississippi State softball swept Southeast Missouri Tuesday behind a Leila Ammon no-hitter and strong pitching performances across the doubleheader.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Leila Ammon winds up for a pitching during game one of Tuesday's double-header against Southeast Missouri.
Mississippi State pitcher Leila Ammon winds up for a pitching during game one of Tuesday's double-header against Southeast Missouri. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State could not have asked for a much cleaner tune-up before SEC play.

The No. 12 Bulldogs swept Southeast Missouri in Tuesday’s doubleheader at Nusz Park, winning 9-0 in five innings and 4-0. It pushed Mississippi State to 26-2 on the season and extended its winning streak to nine games.

More importantly, it sent the Bulldogs into conference play playing the kind of complete softball that has defined their start to the year.

The day started with history.

Leila Ammon tossed the 27th no-hitter in program history in the opener, striking out seven over five innings in the run-rule victory.

"Honestly, I was kind of freaking out,” Ammon said about throwing a no-hitter. “I knew my defense had my back. They've had it all season so far, so I just pounded the zone and trusted that they were going to get the outs."

It was the first of her career and part of another dominant showing from a pitching staff that continues to pile up zeros (eight shutouts this season).

"It's kind of like a curse to say, 'You know, you have a no-hitter,' or a perfect game or anything like that,” Ammon said. “I was glad that nobody told me because I was already internally freaking out. I'm glad they just kept me grounded.”

Ammon had plenty of support on the field too.

The Bulldogs essentially decided Game 1 before Southeast Missouri had much time to settle in. Mississippi State scored seven runs in the first inning, sending a long line of hitters to the plate and taking advantage of timely hits, walks and aggressive baserunning.

Morgan Stiles and Des Rivera both finished with multiple hits and multiple RBIs in the opener, while Nadia Barbary added to her big season with her eighth home run in the third inning.

By the time the fifth inning rolled around, Ammon had handled the rest.

Game 2 looked a little different, but the result felt familiar.

Gabby Schaeffer got things started with a solo home run in the second inning, and the Bulldogs slowly added on from there. Rivera brought in another run with a sacrifice fly in the third, and Abigail Stevens followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0. Barbary picked up her third RBI of the day in the sixth to finish the scoring.

The pitching staff handled the rest again.

Peja Goold started the second game before turning things over to Delainey Everett and Alyssa Faircloth. Faircloth closed it out in dominant fashion, striking out five of the six hitters she faced to earn her fourth save of the season.

"The pitchers have been a huge part of everything up to this part of the season," Bulldogs’ coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Just having a full staff and being able to turn to any of the arms at any point has been really nice. Easing Delainey [Everett] back into these last couple weeks is going to be big for us moving forward. Great starts from both of them. Leila has looked really sharp lately and, with her being a sophomore, is really exciting for us.

With [Ammon], Peja and Alyssa, we really can start any of them at any time this weekend. Knowing we've got Delainey in relief, we're still trying to piece her piece her back in a little bit too, But I really like what we're seeing from our staff."

At this point, the pattern for Mississippi State is pretty clear.

The Bulldogs pitch well. They play clean defense. And when the lineup gets rolling, innings can get away from opponents in a hurry. Tuesday was another example. Mississippi State recorded its 10th run-rule win of the season in Game 1 and continued to show balance up and down the lineup.

All of it adds up to the best winning percentage Mississippi State has ever carried into SEC play.

And the timing matters, because the challenge ramps up immediately.

The Bulldogs open conference play this weekend at Nusz Park against No. 1 Tennessee. The three-game series begins Friday night and runs through Sunday.

After a month of steady winning and a doubleheader that featured a no-hitter and another productive day at the plate, Mississippi State heads into it playing some of its best softball of the season.

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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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