Marron Ties Freshman Strikeout Record In One-Hit Shutout Of Furman

Sunday, February 26

Mobile, Ala.

11:15 AM

Mississippi State

11-4

Furman

4-10

Mississippi State

Furman

Marron Ties Freshman Strikeout Record In One-Hit Shutout Of Furman

February 26, 2023 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

MOBILE, Ala. – Josey Marron kept her streak alive. The Mississippi State freshman won her fifth game in five career starts, tossing a one-hit shutout in a 4-0 win against Furman on Sunday. Marron also struck out a career-high 13 batters in the effort, which tied the MSU freshman record.

State (11-4) went 5-0 at the South Alabama Invitational over the weekend. Sunday was the Bulldogs' first win of the season when they did not score at least five runs, but it was more than enough for Marron, who allowed just three baserunners in the game.

"She looked great and gave us a great start," head coach Samantha Ricketts said of Marron. "We had the chance to get some runs up on the board for her early, and she looked comfortable the entire game. It was good to see her calm, controlled, poised and attacking. She really mixed different pitches. She got swings and misses on all the pitches that she throws, which is really good to see. It's going to really set us up moving forward for the next part of the season."

MSU loaded the bases in the first and brought home one run on a Jackie McKenna ground out. The Bulldogs got another in the third on Aquana Brownlee's one-out double. Nadia Barbary doubled to spark a two-run sixth that saw Shea Moreno and Chloe Malau'ulu drive in runs with singles.

For Marron, it was her third complete game of the year and second shutout of the season. Her 13 matched Alexis Silkwood (vs. Texas Southern; May 17, 2014) and Emily Williams (Mercer; March 3, 2018) for the most in a game by a Bulldog freshman.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on going 5-0 in Mobile ahead of the team's home opener…
"Yeah, this is week three on the road. I thought they were really gritty. They battled and pushed through some injuries. It's going to be good to get back home and get them some rest, get their bodies taken care of. I'm really proud of the way they finished this road trip. I thought they were mentally tough all game long through all five this weekend."

Catcher Jackie McKenna on Josey Marron's performance…
"I think she just looked really composed, and I knew she was going to get the job done. Every time I catch her, she's kind of just like, 'Let's get it,' and giving me the eyes, giving me the 'Let's Go.' I think she just hits her spots. If she gives up a hit or anything, she always bounces back."

Josey Marron on how she felt throughout the game…
"It started out strong, and the defense made really good plays behind me in the first couple of innings. Then I kind of got in the groove. [Pitching coach] Josh [Johnson] and I have been working a lot on tunnelling and strategy, and I really tried to lock into that today and work my pitches down based on where they were swinging. Offense helped out a lot. The defense made good plays, so it was a fun game."

Quick Hitters

Aquana Brownlee – Doubled home a run in the third … four of her eight hits on the weekend went for extra bases.

Paige Cook – Singled and was hit by a pitch … stole a base and scored a run.

Chloe Malau'ulu – Went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored … leads the team with six multi-hit games.

Josey Marron – Struck out a career-high 13 batters, tying the MSU freshman record … became the first Bulldog to strike out 10 or more since Kenley Hawk against Alabama State (Feb. 16, 2022) … threw her third complete game of the year and second shutout … has started five games and won all five.

Brylie St. Clair – Beat out two infield singles in the first two innings … now has three multi-hit games this year … also stole a base.

Scoring Recap

Top 1
Brylie St. Clair led off with an infield single and stole second base. Chloe Malau'ulu then singled up the middle, advancing St. Clair to third. Paige Cook was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Aquana Brownlee hit a ground ball to third, and Furman threw out St. Clair at the plate while the other runners advanced safely. Jackie McKenna grounded out to the shortstop to score Malau'ulu from third.
Mississippi State 1, Furman 0

Top 2
With one out, Cook singled through the left side. She scored on Brownlee's double into right-center field.
Mississippi State 2, Furman 0

Top 6
With one out, Nadia Barbary doubled into left center. Kiarra Sells replaced her as a pinch runner at second, and Shea Moreno came on to pinch hit. Sells scored on Moreno's single, and Moreno took second on the throw to the plate. Kat Wallace re-entered the game to run for Moreno and scored on Malu'ulu's single up the middle.
Mississippi State 4, Furman 0

On Deck

Mississippi State returns to Starkville for its home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The Bulldogs will host Mississippi Valley State for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. CT. Both games will be available on SEC Network+.

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