STARKVILLE — No rest.
Less than 48 hours after dropping a tough doubleheader to third-ranked Florida, the Mississippi State softball team returns to action tonight and the competition gets no easier.
MSU hosts No. 7 Georgia in the opening-game of a three-game Southeastern Conference series at the MSU Softball Field.
The SEC’s only Battle of the Bulldogs will be contested at 5:30 p.m. today, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
“We have to come out and keep competing,” MSU sophomore third baseman Sam Lenahan said. “We are ready to show that we have turned the corner and we are ready to compete against some of the nation’s best teams.”
The Bulldogs will certainly get that chance this year. Of the five conference home series, Kentucky is the only unranked opponent coming to Starkville.
MSU (14-7 overall, 0-2) saw a six-game win streak snapped with Wednesday’s setbacks to Florida. Amid controversy, the Gators won the opener 1-0 and followed that up with an 8-5 win in the nightcap.
“There are a lot of positives we can take from taking one of the best teams in the nation to the wire,” MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “Our team is beginning to realize how close we are to being a good team.
“The first part is believing you can do it. I am afraid against Florida we waited until the fourth inning before we realized we had a chance to win each game.”
Georgia (19-2, 0-0) will be playing its first true road game of the season. These Bulldogs have won nine straight games, including impressive victories over Arizona, Oklahoma and UCLA at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
Despite Georgia being a regular Top 10 team, MSU has held its own in recent meetings with Georgia.
The teams have actually split the last 12 meetings, with UGA taking 2 of 3 games last season in Athens, Ga, and winning both games at MSU in 2010.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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