Mississippi State Softball Takes First Loss of Season
Playing less than 12 hours after pulling off a doubleheader sweep of ranked opponents, Mississippi State softball took its first loss of the 2024 season when UC Davis pushed across a seventh-inning run for a 2-1 victory in Mexico.
Matalasi Faapito threw a complete game, striking out seven, but the offense sputtered. The Bulldogs stranded 10 runners on base, including multiple runners in four innings.
"Tip your cap to UC Davis," said head coach Samantha Ricketts. "They played and pitched a great game.
"We knew it was going to be a challenge off a quick turnaround from yesterday's games. They're a scrappy team, but we're looking to bounce back next week."
The weekend finale on was a rescheduled game from Friday due to inclement weather. Mississippi State (8-1) was coming odd wins against No. 8 Clemson an No. 13 Utah on Saturday.
Aided by a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, the Aggies (3-4) opened the scoring in the first inning. Mississippi State (8-1) responded in the third inning as as Nadia Barbary scored on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded and one out.
The eventual winning run reached base on a fly ball lost in the sun, resulting in a leadoff double by Sarah Nakahara. She was sacrificed over to third and scored on a two-out single into right by Grace Kilday.
Mississippi State will be off until next weekend, when it will play five games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 22-24 in Cathedral City, Calif. The Bulldogs will open against UCF and Notre Dame on Thursday, and face No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday, before playing a doubleheader against Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State on Saturday.
"We have another challenge in front of us, but overall, we like what we've seen from the girls in terms of composure, the pitching staff and the bats," Ricketts said. "We're ready to get back on the field and bounce back in California."
