STARKVILLE — Mississippi State sophomore first baseman Sarai Niu said her first home run of the season Sunday night was a long time coming.
That home run might have started a trend.
On Monday, Niu homered for the second time in as many nights and the MSU softball team’s defense made it stand up for a 4-3 win against No. 24 Arkansas in a Southeastern Conference game at Nusz Park.
“We were so low Sunday night, now we are this high again,” Niu said. “Winning another SEC series means a lot to this team. It just tells us we have put last season completely behind us.”
MSU also led a 4-3 in the sixth inning Sunday night. Two errors opened the door for the Razorbacks to score the game-tying run. An inning later, Arkansas scored the game-winner. MSU players and coaches were crushed after a dominating 3-0 win to start the series Saturday night.
MSU played errorless ball Monday and didn’t fall off the tight wire as Arkansas stranded nine runners.
“It shows where we are mentally as a team,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We were in the same position last weekend. Win Game 1 and just don’t play up to our standards in the second game when you have a chance to win the series. To be able to come back out the next night and lay it all on the line is great. It shows you are ready to grind and you are willing to sacrifice. Winning series is what it is all about in this league. There was some great softball played in this series.”
MSU won its third-straight conference series to improve to 34-15 and 8-10 in league play. Two of the series have been against ranked opponents. MSU enters the final two weekends of conference play eighth in the league standings.
“I just can’t say how much a blessing it is to play softball for this university,” MSU senior pitcher Alexis Silkwood said. “We had our backs against the wall the entire season last year (in a 26-31 finish). This year, we have been able to take a deep breath and play softball. It is just a great feeling to see this team take off like this. We knew we had the capability.”
Silkwood (14-5) always has had the capability even if she wasn’t at her best Monday night. Silkwood allowed eight hits and walked five in a complete-game victory.
“The thing that kept me going was the other pitchers,” Silkwood said. “When I came back to the dugout after each inning, they kept me going. We talked about certain batters and they really encouraged me. It was a tough night. However, we really needed the win, so I was there fighting hard for my sisters.”
MSU scored single runs in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings to build a 4-1 lead. The Bulldogs took advantage of their speed and excelled in the bunting game. A ground out scored one run. A fielding error scored another run. Caroline Seitz had an RBI single and Niu crushed a ball to left center.
“This team has a whatever-it-takes mentality,” Niu said. “The thing I am most proud of is when we get down, we come fighting back. Last year’s team didn’t have that kind of fight. This year, we are going to battle you. If you get us, we are going to come back out swinging.”
The Bulldogs capped a strong night in the field with a critical double play to end the sixth.
After an out to start the inning, the Razorbacks (28-18, 6-15) loaded the bases with a walk and two singles. Loren Krzysko just missed a grand slam and hit a two-run double off the outfield wall. On the next play, a ground ball to Silkwood was thrown home for the second out and catcher Calyn Adams caught the runner at second base off the bag to end the inning.
MSU retired Arkansas in order in the seventh.
“Calyn with one of the biggest defensive plays of the season,” Stuedeman said. “Then getting them one-two-three in the seventh inning was beyond huge. We made winning plays. With the exception of one inning, we did that throughout the whole series.”
After missing a regional last season, the Bulldogs were determined to bounce back with authority. The Bulldogs didn’t win a series last season. To win three straight has the team feeling good again.
“You want to be headed in the right direction when May starts,” Niu said. “You want to be one of the last teams standing. We felt horrible a year ago. Nights like tonight help us make that a distant memory.”
MSU returns to action at 6 p.m. Friday when it takes on No. 7 Auburn in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn took two of three games from South Carolina this past weekend.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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