Mississippi State Rides Sixth-Inning Power, Faircloth’s Gem to Victory

Kiarra Sells and Kinley Keller powered a sixth-inning comeback as Mississippi State beat Georgia, backed by Alyssa Faircloth’s 11-strikeout complete game.

Mississippi State Outfielder Kinley Keller (#33) and Mississippi State Outfielder Kalani Sells (#42) during game 2 between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, GA. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State didn’t overpower Georgia on Saturday. It just waited for the right moment and let two swings change everything.

Down a run in the sixth, Kiarra Sells stepped in, worked a full count, and tied the game with her eleventh homer of the year.

Kinley Keller followed with a full count shot of her own to left, and suddenly a game that had been leaning Georgia’s way flipped in a hurry.

BACK-TO-BACK AT THE JACK!

💻 https://t.co/WwIcjnLIbS@KinleyKeller33 | #HailState pic.twitter.com/aLgpxujmzu

— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) March 21, 2026

"It was great. I just wanted to do whatever I can to, you know, have my teammates' back, and especially Alyssa [Faircloth's], after, you know, what happened in the previous inning,” Keller said. “But it was just great to see, and I had a lot of fun. It's just one of those feelings that just great, and I'm so glad I got to experience that."

It needed flipping, too. Georgia had built a two run lead in the fourth with a solo homer and a squeeze play, and Mississippi State wasn’t doing much to answer early.

The fifth inning finally cracked things open a bit when Morgan Stiles punched a single up the middle to score Xiane Romero, and that small breakthrough seemed to loosen the lineup. Stiles has been steady all weekend, and she has now driven in half of Mississippi State’s runs in the series.

Once the sixth inning fireworks landed, the rest belonged to Alyssa Faircloth. She was sharp from the start and only got tougher as the game tightened.

Seven complete games now, and this one might have been her most controlled outing of the season. Eleven strikeouts, no walks, only five hits allowed, and three strikeouts in the final seven batters to close it out. Georgia never really mounted a final push because Faircloth never gave them the space to do it.

We are tied!

💻 https://t.co/WwIcjnLIbS@kiarra_sells | #HailState pic.twitter.com/utqVPeMx12

— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) March 21, 2026

Sells reached in all three plate appearances and continues to be the most reliable bat in the lineup. Keller made the most of entering as a defensive sub by delivering the biggest swing of the night.

"We told Kinley Keller before she went to bat that she was going to like that pitcher, and it was just a very mature at-bat," Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. "She just battled and, you know, was competing on marginal pitches and got something that she could handle in her zone. I just love the competitiveness from her and not getting too big in the moment. She was ready when her number was called for us."

Stiles kept her on‑base streak alive and stayed productive in key spots.

It was the kind of win that doesn’t need much dressing up. Mississippi State stayed patient, took advantage of its moment, and let its ace finish the job.

Now the series comes down to Sunday at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+, with both teams sitting at 2-3 in SEC play and neither giving much away this weekend.

It has been tight, competitive softball so far, and the finale should feel the same.