PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Reggie Harrison had a home run as part of a five-RBI game, and Calyn Adams added a home run Thursday to power the Mississippi State softball team to a 9-0 victory against No. 23 Nebraska in five innings at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
In its first game of the day, MSU (10-2) lost to No. 15 Arizona State 3-1.
MSU and Nebraska traded two scoreless innings before MSU broke through in the top of the third inning. Adams led off with her first home run of the season. After singles by Bevia Robinson and Mia Davidson, Harrison also launched her first home run to give MSU a 4-0 lead.
Harrison was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Adams was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI
Kat Moore, Davidson, Emily Heimberger, and Robinson also had two hits as part of the 14-hit attack.
Carmen Carter and O’Neil Roberson also had hits.
Senior right-hander Cassady Knudsen allowed only four hits in five innings to improve to 4-0. She walked one and struck out seven.
Two unearned runs were the difference in MSU’s first game against Arizona State (10-1). Senior right-hander Holly Ward battled Giselle Juarez, who struck out nine of the first 10 MSU batters.
An error in the top of the first led to a single and a double for a 2-0 Arizona State lead.
Davidson hit her third home run of the game in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit in half.
Ward settled down in late innings, including a three-pitch sixth to retire the side. Arizona State added an insurance run in the seventh with a walk and double.
Harrison led off the seventh with a walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but MSU was unable to score.
Ward (4-2) allowed five hits in six innings. She walked two and struck out six.
MSU will continue its ranked matchups at the tournament at 3 p.m. today when it takes on No. 16 Oklahoma State.
n Ole Miss will play
Murray State and
Tennessee Tech today: At Tory, Alabama, With heavy rain forecast in Oxford for the weekend, the Red & Blue Classic has been cancelled. Instead, Ole Miss will hit the road for neutral-site games against Murray State and Tennessee Tech at the Troy Softball Complex.
Ole Miss will face Murray State at 9 a.m. and Tennessee Tech at 11:30 a.m.
Ole Miss also will make its home debut against SIUE at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The teams also will play at 3 p.m. Monday.
n Alabama will makes home debut at Easton Bama Bash: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the No. 10 Alabama softball team will play host to Georgia State at 4 p.m. and No. 9 Florida State at 6 p.m. today in its first game at the annual Easton Bama Bash at Rhoads Stadium.
The tournament will continue Saturday with Alabama facing Northern Iowa at 1:30 p.m. and No. 9 FSU at 4 p.m.
The tournament will conclude at 1:30 p.m. Sunday with Alabama taking on Georgia State.
Alabama (6-1) is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Black and Gold Invitational in Hattiesburg where it defeated Southern Mississippi, McNeese, and Mississippi Valley State before falling
n Southern Mississippi will take on Jacksonville State: At Hattiesburg, the Southern Mississippi softball team will kick off a three-game weekend series against Jacksonville State with one game at 6 tonight.
The teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Southern Miss (4-7) is coming off an 8-0 run-rule victory against Alabama State on Wednesday evening.
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