MSU Drops Series Opener To No. 19 LSU

Friday, May 6

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

31-22, 9-13

#19 LSU

33-19, 12-10

LSU

Mississippi State

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

MSU Drops Series Opener To No. 19 LSU

May 06, 2022 | Softball

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By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – A three-run home run and a four-run fourth inning downed Mississippi State on Friday night as the Bulldogs lost their series opener to No. 19 LSU, 7-2.

"They do a great job with their pitching staff, especially with (Ali) Kilponen," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think we let them score first, and it slowed us down a little bit. We would like to see more competitive and more quality at bats early on. We can't wait until the seventh to string them together."

With two outs in the top of the first, LSU (33-19, 12-10 SEC) drew a walk ahead of a three-run homer. State responded with a leadoff double from Shea Moreno in the bottom of the inning. She later scored on a single from Chloe Malau'ulu.

MSU (31-22, 8-13 SEC) also got a run back in the third when Madisyn Kennedy came home on a wild pitch. That would be as close as the game would get.

In the fourth, the Tigers drew four straight walks followed by a pair of singles to extend their lead.

Matalasi Faapito came in to finish the game in relief. She struck out five, including striking out the side around a pair of singles in the top of the seventh.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on how leaving the bases loaded killed momentum at the plate…
"Any time you have a chance to break it open and have a big inning and you aren't able to push one across, it can definitely phase you. It's something that we talk about and work on. We talked about how to control momentum and how to control energy in our dugout. We can't let an error, strike zone or not scoring with the bases loaded affect us. We can't be result oriented and have to stay with it pitch by pitch, I don't think we did a good job with that today."

Samantha Ricketts on the pregame graduation ceremony…
"It's always nice to do something special for them. Especially when they aren't able to walk because we are on the road next week. We want to give them an opportunity to be recognized. It's a special occasion for them to graduate with their undergraduate or masters degree like Alli [Florian]. We want to celebrate that because they are student athletes. They work hard in the classroom and on the field."

Chloe Malau'ulu on celebrating graduation…
"It's really, really fun, especially having our families out here. It's been a good day despite the loss. I think that the atmosphere is really nice, just to see all our family come out here from different parts of the country."

Quick Hitters

Madisyn Kennedy – Went 1-for-2 … scored on a wild pitch.

Chloe Malau'ulu – Threw out a runner at the plate for her fifth outfield assist of the year … now has 13 career outfield assists, which ranks fifth in school history … drove in a run and went 1-for-2..

Shea Moreno – Led off the first with a double and scored … also drew a walk.

Scoring Recap

Top 1
Ciara Briggs singled to shortstop and advanced to second on a Georgia Clark walk. Shelbi Sunseri hit a three-run homer to center field.
LSU 3, Mississippi State 0

Bottom 1
Shea Moreno doubled to right center to open the frame. She advanced to third when Mia Davidson struck out. Chloe Malau'ulu singled to right field to bring Moreno home.
LSU 3, Mississippi State 1

Bottom 3
With one out, Madisyn Kennedy singled up the middle. Kennedy advanced to second when Moreno walked. Davidson also walked to load the bases. Kennedy scored on a wild pitch.
LSU 3, Mississippi State 2

Top 4
With one out, McKenzie Redoutey, Cait Calland and Sydney Peterson all walked, loading the bases. Danieca Coffey walked, bringing Redoutey home. Briggs singled through the left side, to score Calland but Peterson was thrown out at home. Coffey advanced to third and Briggs took second on the throw. Taylor Pleasants singled up the middle, bringing both Briggs and Coffey home.
LSU 7, Mississippi State 2

On Deck

Mississippi State and LSU will continue the series on Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.

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