On Thursday in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California, the Mississippi State softball team lost its first game against a ranked opponent this season.
The Bulldogs (10-2), who entered the USA Softball/ESPN.com rankings at No. 24 earlier in the week, shut out unranked Oregon State 1-0 in their first game Thursday but fell 7-2 to No. 15/17 Oregon in their second contest of the day.
A fifth-run fourth inning for the Ducks (11-0) doomed the Bulldogs in Thursday’s second contest, as a 2-1 Mississippi State lead quickly turned into a 6-2 Oregon advantage.
Oregon left fielder Vallery Wong ripped a double to right center field that put the Ducks ahead 3-2, and the Bulldogs soon fell further behind. Center fielder Haley Cruse added a single, and third baseman Rachel Cid drove in two runs with a single before the inning came to a close.
Mississippi State had scored two runs in the top of the inning on an RBI single by center fielder Anna Kate Segars and a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Aquana Brownlee.
For Mississippi State, Troy transfer Annie Willis allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. Emily Williams finished out the fourth and was charged with one run, and Kenley Hawk gave up a run over the final two innings.
In the first game of the day, a 1-0 win over Oregon State (8-3), Chloe Malau’ulu hit a home run that stood as the contest’s only score. Malau’ulu, a sophomore from Long Beach, California, took Mariah Mazon deep in the top of the fourth inning; it was all Mississippi State needed.
Sophomore Grace Fagan allowed just three hits and struck out seven batters in five scoreless innings, and Williams earned her third save of the season with two scoreless frames.
“I thought the pitchers did a great job in the first game of attacking the zone, mixing speeds and keeping them off balance,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release from Mississippi State. “We faced a quality team and a tough pitcher. She made one mistake, and Chloe made her pay for it. I thought the defense and everyone backing up Grace and Emily really played well.”
The Bulldogs will face UC Riverside at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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