State Falls To No. 4 Florida In Quarterfinals Of SEC Tournament

Thursday, May 13

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

#4 Florida

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

State Falls To No. 4 Florida In Quarterfinals Of SEC Tournament

May 13, 2021 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A pair of home runs in the fifth and sixth innings erased Mississippi State's lead as the Bulldogs fell to No. 4 Florida, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs (33-23, 8-15 SEC) took an early lead, scoring two runs with two outs in the second inning on a Jackie McKenna double that caught the paint of the foul line in left field. Annie Willis shut down the Gators (41-8, 19-5 SEC) for four innings before a three-run home run swung the game in the fifth.

Florida added a second three-run homer in the sixth inning to result in the final score.

"I still feel really good about where we're at right now," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We're 8-1 in the month of May. It's really a big turnaround for us, and I still think we're playing our best ball at the right time. We ran into a great team, and I thought we competed well with them. We're excited to move forward and play somebody who is not in the SEC in Regionals. We're excited. We're ready to get back to work and continue to do what we've been doing for the last month or so, and that's just working hard out there together and taking it one pitch at a time."

The Bulldogs collected four hits with Paige Cook, Fa Leilua and Carter Spexarth all picking up base hits. Leilua and Spexarth were both erased on the Gators' two double plays later in their respective innings. Cook took second on a throw home and later scored following her single.

Defensively, State turned in an error-free game and worked out of multiple jams, stranding six Florida runners through the first four innings.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on deciding when to turn to the bullpen:
"It was [a tough decision]. You knew that two runs wasn't going to be enough against a team like that. They've come back all year, especially these last few weeks. They've had quite a few comebacks to help them clinch a share of the SEC [title]. It's definitely tough because Annie [Willis] was throwing really well. She had a couple too many freebies, hitting batters and some walks. Knowing how hot Alyssa Loza's been out of the bullpen, it was trying to pick the right moment where you're still allowing Annie to get through the lineup. I think the third time through you could definitely see the adjustments they made on her. Alyssa on back-to-back days was a little bit slower than she was yesterday and leaving it a little bit too much white than she'd like to. I told both of them after the game that they've been a huge piece of our success these last few weeks and we're going to keep giving them the ball going forward."

Jackie McKenna on her double:
"It felt great. Kind of similar to yesterday's pitcher, they were working all inside. She was a lot more spinny than fast, but we've been working her plan and the inside pitch a lot in practice and pregame. We were ready for it. I just got my hands inside, and I knew it was coming so I got my barrel out there and hit it."

Jackie McKenna on the team's offense heading into NCAA Regionals:
"I feel like we're ready for it. The beginning, clearly, was a little bit tough. We didn't score a run against Florida last time. It was nice to get out there swinging. I think we were on her the entire game, competing. I think we're heading into Regionals looking strong. We're going to keep fighting and competing and, hopefully, keep winning with some big hits."

Quick Hitters

Paige Cook – Singled and took second on the throw home in her first at-bat.

Mia Davidson – Walked twice in three trips … Scored State's first run.

Madisyn Kennedy – Was involved in five (3 assists, 2 put outs) of the game's 11 outs on balls in play.

Jackie McKenna – Hit a two-out, two-run double to plate State's runs.

Annie Willis – Struck out six in 5.0 innings of work … Allowed just two hits through her first four innings while striking out five.

Scoring Recap

Top 2
Mia Davidson led off with a walk. Addison Purvis grounded out, but that allowed Davidson to advance to second. Paige Cook then singled and advanced to second when the throw home was not cut off as Davidson held up at third. Jackie McKenna hit a two-out, two-run double that caught the chalk in left field and rolled into the corner.
Mississippi State 2, Florida 0

Bottom 5
With one out, Emily Wilkie was hit by a pitch. Charla Echols followed with a single to put runners on first and second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Kendyl Lindaman hit a three-run homer to take the lead.
Mississippi State 2, Florida 3

Bottom 6
With one out Cheyenne Lindsey and Hannah Adams hit back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. Following a strikeout, Echols hit a three-run home run to right-center field.
Mississippi State 2, Florida 6

On Deck

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 16. The 64-team bracket will be revealed live on ESPN2.

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