Saturday, February 15
Starkville
12:30 PM
Mississippi State
7-1
3
vs
0
Tennessee State
1-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Tennessee State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Mississippi State
0
0
0
0
0
3
X
3
5
0
Saturday Sweep Sends MSU to Bulldog Kickoff Classic Championship
February 15, 2020 | Softball
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Four home runs propelled Mississippi State to a Saturday sweep in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. The Bulldogs defeated Tennessee State to close round-robin play then run-ruled North Alabama to advance to Sunday's championship game.
State claimed 3-0 victory over the Tigers, who dropped to 1-6 at the time, scoring all of its runs in the bottom of the sixth. Fa Leilua did most of the damage with a two-run blast for her fourth home run of the year. Kenley Hawk threw 6.0 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five.
Mia Davidson led the charge as the Bulldogs cruised to a 9-1 win against North Alabama (5-3). Davidson went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and two home runs. She finished with four RBIs in the contest and scored three times. Madisyn Kennedy also contributed a three-run home run that stayed just inside the foul pole for her second hit of the night.
"It was good to see the offense show up for game two," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We talked a little towards the end of game one about being more aggressive and attacking early in the count. That's more of our game plan and what we like to do as hitters. I really liked what I saw out of the pitching staff. It's nice to get everything rolling on all cylinders."
Carter Spexarth and Candace Denis also registered multi-hit games against the Lions. Leilua drilled an RBI single into the left-center gap in the first inning before bring brought home by Spexarth. Denis added two stolen bases in the nightcap and finished with three on the day.
"It's a good problem to have," Ricketts added. "I've got a lot of hitters – more than nine – that I'm trying to work in. Hopefully, I can get a lot more of them in tomorrow as well. We need to clean up some of the errors a little bit and the baserunning, but that's what the early part of the season is for, so we can see some things."
In the circle, Grace Fagan went 4.0 innings allowing just one hit, a solo home run, and made a diving catch on a shallow pop up near the first base line. Emily Williams came on for a six-out save, striking out six of the nine batters she faced without surrendering a hit.
Tennessee State (2-6) also won its semifinal game and will meet the Bulldogs in the championship at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. North Alabama will play No. 1-seed Tulsa (7-1) in the consolation game.
Candace Denis – Went 3-for-7 on Saturday with three stolen bases in two games … Scored three times … Drove in the winning run against Tennessee State.
Carter Spexarth – Registered her first multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-3 against North Alabama with an RBI.
Emily Williams – Picked up a save in both ballgames … Struck out six, matching her career-best in a relief appearance against North Alabama.
Coming Home – MSU threw a runner out at the plate for the first time since April 19, 2019 against Ole Miss in the second inning against Tennessee State … Shortstop Madisyn Kennedy relayed centerfielder Anna Kate Segars' throw home to Mia Davidson who applied the tag.
We've Got the Wheels – State stole five bags on five attempts over Saturday's two games … The Bulldogs are now 6-for-6 on the year.
Lindsey Williams singled up the middle, and Brylie St. Clair came on as a pinch runner. St. Clair stole second base then advanced to third on a ground out by Christian Quinn. Candace Denis brought St. Clair home with a single to center field. Denis then stole second base before Fa Leilua homered to left field.
Tennessee State 0, Mississippi State 1
Candace Denis led off by beating out an infield single. She then stole second before scoring on Mia Davidson's double to right center. Fa Leilua singled to left center to score Davidson from second. Carter Spexarth singled to right center allowing Leilua to advance to third, but when the centerfielder bobbled the exchange, Leilua rounded for home to score State's third run.
North Alabama 0, Mississippi State 3
Top 3
Emma Latham led off with a solo home run to left field.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 3
Bottom 5
With a 2-1 count, Mia Davidson led off the inning by homering over the scoreboard in left field. With one out, Chloe Malau'ulu and Carter Spexarth hit singles in consecutive at-bats to put a pair of runners on for Madisyn Kennedy. The freshman pulled a ball just inside the foul pole for her second home run of the year.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 7
Bottom 6
Following a leadoff single and stolen base by Candace Denis, Mia Davidson hit a walk-off, run-rule home run down the left field line.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 9
North Alabama 9, Tennessee State 1 (5 inn.)
Tulsa 2, Tennessee State 0
Tulsa 2, Mississippi State 1
Mississippi State 6, North Alabama 0
Saturday, Feb. 15
Tulsa 1, North Alabama 0
Mississippi State 3, Tennessee State 0
No. 4 Tennessee State 2, No. 1 Tulsa 1 (10 inn.)
No. 2 Mississippi State 9, No. 3 North Alabama 1 (6 inn.)
Sunday, Feb. 16
No. 3 North Alabama vs. No. 1 Tulsa (Consolation) – 11 a.m.
No. 4 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Mississippi State (Championship) – 1:30 p.m.
This weekend features trivia at each MSU game of the tournament. Each individual trivia game winner will be entered to win a grand prize at the end of the season, with more wins earning contestants more entries. Sunday's trivia will focus on U.S. history.
STARKVILLE – Four home runs propelled Mississippi State to a Saturday sweep in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. The Bulldogs defeated Tennessee State to close round-robin play then run-ruled North Alabama to advance to Sunday's championship game.
State claimed 3-0 victory over the Tigers, who dropped to 1-6 at the time, scoring all of its runs in the bottom of the sixth. Fa Leilua did most of the damage with a two-run blast for her fourth home run of the year. Kenley Hawk threw 6.0 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five.
Mia Davidson led the charge as the Bulldogs cruised to a 9-1 win against North Alabama (5-3). Davidson went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and two home runs. She finished with four RBIs in the contest and scored three times. Madisyn Kennedy also contributed a three-run home run that stayed just inside the foul pole for her second hit of the night.
"It was good to see the offense show up for game two," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We talked a little towards the end of game one about being more aggressive and attacking early in the count. That's more of our game plan and what we like to do as hitters. I really liked what I saw out of the pitching staff. It's nice to get everything rolling on all cylinders."
Carter Spexarth and Candace Denis also registered multi-hit games against the Lions. Leilua drilled an RBI single into the left-center gap in the first inning before bring brought home by Spexarth. Denis added two stolen bases in the nightcap and finished with three on the day.
"It's a good problem to have," Ricketts added. "I've got a lot of hitters – more than nine – that I'm trying to work in. Hopefully, I can get a lot more of them in tomorrow as well. We need to clean up some of the errors a little bit and the baserunning, but that's what the early part of the season is for, so we can see some things."
In the circle, Grace Fagan went 4.0 innings allowing just one hit, a solo home run, and made a diving catch on a shallow pop up near the first base line. Emily Williams came on for a six-out save, striking out six of the nine batters she faced without surrendering a hit.
Tennessee State (2-6) also won its semifinal game and will meet the Bulldogs in the championship at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. North Alabama will play No. 1-seed Tulsa (7-1) in the consolation game.
Quick Hitters
Mia Davidson – Hit multiple home runs for the fifth time in her career and first time since April 10, 2019 against Memphis … Also collected four RBIs in a game for the sixth time in her career and first in 2020 … Has a hit in seven of nine games this year … Caught a runner stealing against Tennessee State.Candace Denis – Went 3-for-7 on Saturday with three stolen bases in two games … Scored three times … Drove in the winning run against Tennessee State.
Carter Spexarth – Registered her first multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-3 against North Alabama with an RBI.
Emily Williams – Picked up a save in both ballgames … Struck out six, matching her career-best in a relief appearance against North Alabama.
Coming Home – MSU threw a runner out at the plate for the first time since April 19, 2019 against Ole Miss in the second inning against Tennessee State … Shortstop Madisyn Kennedy relayed centerfielder Anna Kate Segars' throw home to Mia Davidson who applied the tag.
We've Got the Wheels – State stole five bags on five attempts over Saturday's two games … The Bulldogs are now 6-for-6 on the year.
vs. Tennessee State Scoring Recap
Bottom 6Lindsey Williams singled up the middle, and Brylie St. Clair came on as a pinch runner. St. Clair stole second base then advanced to third on a ground out by Christian Quinn. Candace Denis brought St. Clair home with a single to center field. Denis then stole second base before Fa Leilua homered to left field.
Tennessee State 0, Mississippi State 1
vs. North Alabama Scoring Recap
Bottom 1Candace Denis led off by beating out an infield single. She then stole second before scoring on Mia Davidson's double to right center. Fa Leilua singled to left center to score Davidson from second. Carter Spexarth singled to right center allowing Leilua to advance to third, but when the centerfielder bobbled the exchange, Leilua rounded for home to score State's third run.
North Alabama 0, Mississippi State 3
Top 3
Emma Latham led off with a solo home run to left field.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 3
Bottom 5
With a 2-1 count, Mia Davidson led off the inning by homering over the scoreboard in left field. With one out, Chloe Malau'ulu and Carter Spexarth hit singles in consecutive at-bats to put a pair of runners on for Madisyn Kennedy. The freshman pulled a ball just inside the foul pole for her second home run of the year.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 7
Bottom 6
Following a leadoff single and stolen base by Candace Denis, Mia Davidson hit a walk-off, run-rule home run down the left field line.
North Alabama 1, Mississippi State 9
Bulldog Kickoff Classic Schedule
Friday, Feb. 14 North Alabama 9, Tennessee State 1 (5 inn.)
Tulsa 2, Tennessee State 0
Tulsa 2, Mississippi State 1
Mississippi State 6, North Alabama 0
Saturday, Feb. 15
Tulsa 1, North Alabama 0
Mississippi State 3, Tennessee State 0
No. 4 Tennessee State 2, No. 1 Tulsa 1 (10 inn.)
No. 2 Mississippi State 9, No. 3 North Alabama 1 (6 inn.)
Sunday, Feb. 16
No. 3 North Alabama vs. No. 1 Tulsa (Consolation) – 11 a.m.
No. 4 Tennessee State vs. No. 2 Mississippi State (Championship) – 1:30 p.m.
Admission/Promotions
Admission to all MSU softball home games is free. Sunday's contest will also include free brunch at the ballpark for fans.This weekend features trivia at each MSU game of the tournament. Each individual trivia game winner will be entered to win a grand prize at the end of the season, with more wins earning contestants more entries. Sunday's trivia will focus on U.S. history.
On Deck
MSU will head to Hammond, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Feb. 18 to meet SE Louisiana. The team will travel directly from Louisiana to Palm Springs, California, for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 20-22.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hawk, Kenley (2-0)
L: POWELL, Lauren (0-4)
S: Williams, Emily (1)
Batting:
2B: WEBER, Reese 1
Base Running:
CS: JOHNSON, Ariel 1
Batting:
2B: Malau'ulu, Chloe 1
HR: Leilua, Fa 1
RBI: Denis, Candace 1 ; Leilua, Fa 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Denis, Candace 1 ; Leilua, Fa 1 ; St. Clair, Brylie 1
SB: Denis, Candace 1 ; St. Clair, Brylie 1 ; Quinn, Christian 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/INF
/ SoftballP/UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
SS/3B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballSOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Raelin Chaffin ESPN2 Postgame Interview
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Friday, May 16