Wednesday, April 20
Lexington, Tenn.
5:30 PM
Mississippi State
28-17
3
vs
2
UT Martin
25-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
UT Martin
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
3
0
Mississippi State
0
0
3
0
0
0
X
3
5
0
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Malau’ulu, Cook’s Back-To-Back Homers Lift MSU To Midweek Win
April 20, 2022 | Softball
LEXINGTON, Tenn. – Mississippi State won its second one-run ballgame in as many days on Wednesday, taking a 3-2 victory in a neutral site game against UT Martin.
All of State's (28-17, 7-8 SEC) scoring came in the third inning when Chloe Malau'ulu and Paige Cook hit back-to-back home runs. Malau'ulu's was a two-run blast after Mia Davidson had singled ahead of her.
"I thought they both did a good job making an adjustment from what we'd seen the first time through the lineup off of that pitcher and did a good job of attacking their plan," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Paige, off a new pitcher, coming right in and not afraid to be aggressive. I thought they did a good job of picking up the rest of the lineup and making sure we turned on the energy a little bit and had better at-bats as an offense down the stretch."
Aspen Wesley started in the circle, throwing 4.0 innings and allowing one run in the winning effort. Matalasi Faapito picked up her second save of the year, pitching the final 3.0 innings and allowing just one run on a solo homer.
After Faapito allowed a leadoff homer to her first batter, she settled in and retired eight of the final nine. The lone batter she did not retire drew a walk and was erased on a double play, State's fifth in the last five games.
"The defense has been an emphasis for a while now, so it's good to see that paying off for them. I think they're confident in it. Going back to having the pitchers' backs and knowing the pitchers will have theirs when we do make an error behind them. It's more of a team approach in that mindset with the defense. I think they're feeling confident, and it's fun to see them make those plays."
Paige Cook – Homered on a relief pitcher's second pitch of the game, going back-to-back with Chloe Malau'ulu … went 2-for-3 on the day for her ninth multi-hit game of the year.
Mia Davidson – Reached base for the 25th consecutive game … streak is now tied for the 10th-longest in school history.
Matalasi Faapito – Singled at the plate … earned her second save of the year in the circle with three strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
Chloe Malau'ulu – Hit a two-run home run … also drew a walk.
Aspen Wesley – Struck out six in 4.0 innings to earn her sixth win of the year.
With one out, Mia Davidson singled to left field. Phoebe Florian pinch ran for her at first and scored on Chloe Malau'ulu's two-run homer. Paige Cook followed that with a home run of her own.
UT Martin 0, Mississippi State 3
Top 4
Paige Clark was hit by a pitch, and Shyanne Sheffield singled off the third baseman's glove to open the inning. Kaci Fuller tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but she was safe on a fielder's choice when the throw went to third to retire Clark. Sheffield then scored on a double into right-center field from Kaitlyn Kelley.
UT Martin 1, Mississippi State. 3
Top 5
Maddi Long hit a leadoff home run.
UT Martin 2, Mississippi State 3
All of State's (28-17, 7-8 SEC) scoring came in the third inning when Chloe Malau'ulu and Paige Cook hit back-to-back home runs. Malau'ulu's was a two-run blast after Mia Davidson had singled ahead of her.
"I thought they both did a good job making an adjustment from what we'd seen the first time through the lineup off of that pitcher and did a good job of attacking their plan," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Paige, off a new pitcher, coming right in and not afraid to be aggressive. I thought they did a good job of picking up the rest of the lineup and making sure we turned on the energy a little bit and had better at-bats as an offense down the stretch."
Aspen Wesley started in the circle, throwing 4.0 innings and allowing one run in the winning effort. Matalasi Faapito picked up her second save of the year, pitching the final 3.0 innings and allowing just one run on a solo homer.
After Faapito allowed a leadoff homer to her first batter, she settled in and retired eight of the final nine. The lone batter she did not retire drew a walk and was erased on a double play, State's fifth in the last five games.
Quotables
Samantha Ricketts on turning another double play…"The defense has been an emphasis for a while now, so it's good to see that paying off for them. I think they're confident in it. Going back to having the pitchers' backs and knowing the pitchers will have theirs when we do make an error behind them. It's more of a team approach in that mindset with the defense. I think they're feeling confident, and it's fun to see them make those plays."
Quick Hitters
Dawg Defense – State has turned a double play in four of the last five games, with five total double plays in that span.Paige Cook – Homered on a relief pitcher's second pitch of the game, going back-to-back with Chloe Malau'ulu … went 2-for-3 on the day for her ninth multi-hit game of the year.
Mia Davidson – Reached base for the 25th consecutive game … streak is now tied for the 10th-longest in school history.
Matalasi Faapito – Singled at the plate … earned her second save of the year in the circle with three strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
Chloe Malau'ulu – Hit a two-run home run … also drew a walk.
Aspen Wesley – Struck out six in 4.0 innings to earn her sixth win of the year.
Scoring Recap
Bottom 3With one out, Mia Davidson singled to left field. Phoebe Florian pinch ran for her at first and scored on Chloe Malau'ulu's two-run homer. Paige Cook followed that with a home run of her own.
UT Martin 0, Mississippi State 3
Top 4
Paige Clark was hit by a pitch, and Shyanne Sheffield singled off the third baseman's glove to open the inning. Kaci Fuller tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but she was safe on a fielder's choice when the throw went to third to retire Clark. Sheffield then scored on a double into right-center field from Kaitlyn Kelley.
UT Martin 1, Mississippi State. 3
Top 5
Maddi Long hit a leadoff home run.
UT Martin 2, Mississippi State 3
On Deck
The Bulldogs host Auburn at Nusz Park this weekend for a three-game set on April 22-24. The two teams are tied in the SEC standings entering the series. The first two games will be nationally televised on SEC Network at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday's series finale is set for noon on SEC Network+.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wesley, Aspen (6-6)
L: Katie Dreiling (9-3)
S: Faapito, Matalasi (2)
Batting:
2B: Kaitlyn Kelley 1
HR: Maddi Long 1
RBI: Kaitlyn Kelley 1 ; Maddi Long 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Shyanne Sheffield 1 ; Maddi Long 1
HBP: Paige Clark 1
Batting:
HR: Malau'ulu, Chloe 1 ; Cook, Paige 1
RBI: Malau'ulu, Chloe 2 ; Cook, Paige 1
SH: St. Clair, Brylie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Florian, Phoebe 1 ; Malau'ulu, Chloe 1 ; Cook, Paige 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballC/INF
/ SoftballP/INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ 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