STARKVILLE — In the sixth inning, Cassady Knudsen found herself in a tight spot.
With Southeastern Louisiana threatening to steal the lead and perhaps the game, the Mississippi State freshman right-hander made the right pitch, got the key out and helped her team survive.
Alexis Silkwood entered in relief an inning later to close out the Bulldogs’ 4-3 win on a bitterly cold afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.
MSU improved to 10-1, while Silkwood, a sophomore from Illinois, moved to 7-0 — good enough to share the lead in the Southeastern Conference in victories.
“It’s exciting to be out there and be in a game like that,” MSU sophomore third baseman Caroline Seitz said. “We have a lot of young players and they are growing up in situations like that. Of course, you would always like to win 8-0 but a game like this will get your heart racing a little bit more.”
MSU has won three times by one run and two other times by two runs.
The season-opening 14-game homestand closes this weekend as Penn State comes to town for a three-game series.
“Cassady had two runners on with two outs in the sixth inning and she coaxed the batter into an out,” MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “The more opportunities she gets like that, the better she is going to be. In the seventh inning, Alexis came back out and faced a part of the lineup that she had handled all day. The more times these players can feel the pressure of a one-run game, the better it is for all of us. To be able to triumph in that situation and to be able to stay in control of yourself is big.”
Continuing to be in control for MSU is Seitz. Her sixth home run of the season — a massive three-run shot — gave the Bulldogs an early 3-0 lead.
Things were again started by Katine Anne Bailey.
Bailey led off the game with the first of her two doubles. She is now hitting .571 with 20 hits in 35 at-bats.
Kayla Winkfield started things an inning later with a double. It was another of the four extra-base hits for MSU.
“Personally, I just have way more confidence this season,” said Winkfield, who has hit safely in 10 of 11 games and reached base in all 11.
“I think this team in general has more confidence. We have a more positive attitude when we go to the plate.”
“You can see the confidence because we are thriving in all of these close games. There is not a doubt in our mind that we can do it. That’s big.”
The confidence will be needed this weekend when Penn State comes to town. The Nittany Lions are 6-4.
“Everybody is real excited about playing Penn State,” Seitz said. “That is a really big-time opponent. It will help us get ready for conference play. This will be good because we need to see what we can do.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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