Mississippi State Softball Drops Close Game to Arizona in Game 1 of Super Regional

The Bulldogs had quality pitches and a few home runs, but the team fell to Arizona by a score of 3-2 in extra innings on Friday afternoon.

Mississippi State did very few things wrong in its opening Super Regional game against Arizona, but the team fell to the Wildcats by a score of 3-2 in extra innings.

Annie Willis pitched six complete innings for the Bulldogs and gave up just two runs on seven hits with two batters walked and five strikeouts. Mia Davidson went 1-for-3 at the plate with a home run-- her 23rd of the season. Matalsi Faapito also had a home run and finished the day batting 2-for-3 with a walk.

MSU came close to scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a long ball by Davidson, but it was snagged by Arizona center fielder Janelle Meono just as it crossed over the wall. From then on, neither team was able to plate runs. Willis and Wildcats pitcher Hanah Bowen put on lights-out performances to keep the score knotted at 0-0 for the first half of the game.

Ultimately, Davidson did help her team strike first with a solo home run that ricocheted off of the pole of a stadium light in the bottom of the fifth inning. Arizona responded in the top of the sixth inning with a home run by Allie Skaggs that knotted the score at 1-1. Mississippi State designated player Faapito continued the home run trend with a no-doubt solo shot in the bottom of the frame to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

State needed three quick outs to end the game in the top of the seventh inning, but it couldn't quite get them. Willis walked the first batter and then was thought to have picked up the first out on a sacrifice bunt by Jasmine Perezchica. A video review ruled that Davidson, the catcher, had interfered with the play by running into the batter.

The review and call against Davidson were critical, but it would have been difficult for her to reach the ball quickly without hitting Perezchica at some point. As Davidson said, the contact would have been hard to avoid given where the ball fell.

"She put it right in front," Davidson said. "So I was just trying to get to the ball and I happened to meet her out of the box and it just didn't go our way."

Relief pitcher Kenley Hawk was brought in for Willis and recorded a quick strikeout. She then gave up an infield single that likely could have been called an error on third baseman Paige Cook. With the bases loaded, State opted to bring in another relief pitcher, Aspen Wesley. Arizona catcher Sharlize Palacios hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home the game-tying run. Mississippi State was unable to walk it off in the bottom of the frame, and the game went into extra innings with each team having two runs apiece.

It didn't take the Wildcats long to finally take the lead. Izzy Pacho homered the third pitch of the inning down the left-field line to push the score to 3-2. Wesley escaped the inning without any further damage, but the Bulldogs were now the ones in the hole. Faapito walked to put a runner on base with no outs, but nobody was able to drive her home.

Despite the loss, the team rallied around the energy that the large crowd brought. MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts expressed her gratitude for the fans who came and said that the team has high hopes for Saturday's turnout.

"We're super thankful for the Bulldog(s) fans and everyone that's out here and we're hoping for another great crowd tomorrow," Ricketts said.

Mississippi State must win the final two games of its Super Regional to advance to the Women's College World Series. First pitch for Game 2 is set for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.