Mississippi State
5-0
#23 Louisiana
4-2
Bulldogs Make Statement In Sweep Of No. 23 Louisiana
February 13, 2024 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State claimed its first ranked wins of the season on Tuesday night, sweeping No. 23 Louisiana in a doubleheader at Nusz Park. The Bulldogs won the first game in run-rule fashion, downing the Ragin' Cajuns, 9-1, in six innings. Josey Marron had the edge in the nightcap, winning a pitchers' duel, 2-1.
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State (6-0) has now scored at least five runs all but one game this season and has scored eight or more in four contests. MSU can already boast four run-rule victories this season.
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Marron and Aspen Wesley each tossed their second complete game of the year, giving MSU four as a team through six games.
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"I'm really proud of the team and the way they played today," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think starting in the circle, both Aspen and Josey, just really did such a great job sticking with their gameplan. Coach T [Taryne Mowatt-McKinney] called another couple great games for us. And just really, I thought clean all the way around. Really good defense backing them up and then getting the timely hitting when we needed it against a good team. I mean, they're a strong team. They play well in their conference, the postseason, a Super Regional team a year ago. It was a good test for us, and it's something that we know matters a lot going into the end of the year, even though it was early on in the first week of playing for us that we had to really lock in for."
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State got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the first inning of the first game, scoring three runs after loading the bases on three straight singles. MSU added two more in the second on a Nadia Barbary double and a Paige Cook sacrifice fly. The Bulldogs scored again on an error in the third before plating three more in the fourth on a Jessie Blaine double and singles from Aquana Brownlee and Ella Wesolowski. Brylie St. Clair delivered the walk-off blow in the fifth with a bases-loaded single to end the game via run-rule.
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The nightcap was a different story. Marron and Louisiana's (4-3) Sam Landry were locked in a tight pitchers' duel. Blaine opened the scoring in the first with a two-run double, and that would be enough for Marron as she struck out five in 7.0 innings while scattering five hits.
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"Yeah, I think we've got a really good mix of veteran hitters with some really talented young ones, and especially the vets at the top of the lineup. I think they really did a good job of buying into the plan and not getting too big, and I think we prepared for her. You know, credit to Landry. She changed her plan up after the second time through and gave us fits the rest of that game. She's a great pitcher, can throw a little bit of everything, but I thought they did a good job attacking in the plan of what we were looking for and getting some good, some good barrels on her."
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Jessie Blaine on Nadia Barbary hitting ahead of her in the lineup…
"I love hitting after Nadia. She has big at-bats. She comes in with big energy, and I love to keep that going after she sparks it up."
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Nadia Barbary on the one-two punch of herself and Jessie Blaine…
"I know that I can do what Jessie can do, and Jessie can do what I can do. Having us both side by side like that can produce runs for the team."
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Nadia Barbary – Went 3-for-4 in Game 1 with a double … tallied a career-high three hits.
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Jessie Blaine – Went 2-for-4 in Game 1 with an RBI double … added a two-run double in Game 2 … finished 2-for-2 in the nightcap and added a walk … now riding a career-long hitting streak of six games, dating back to last year.
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Aquana Brownlee – Drove in two runs in Game 1.
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Paige Cook – Extended her hitting streak to seven games, dating back to last year, before seeing it end in Game 2 … went 8-for-12 with six extra-base hits and 11 RBIs during the streak ... had four home runs during the streak... reached base in a career-long-tying 12 straight games before her streak died in Game 2.
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Josey Marron – Tossed her fifth career complete game … State is now 13-2 in her 15 career starts … struck out five in 7.0 innings without a walk.
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Brylie St. Clair – Delivered a walk-off RBI single in bottom of the sixth inning of Game 1 … recorded a career-high five putouts in Game 2, including a diving catch in left field in the fifth inning.
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Aspen Wesley – Struck out four in 6.0 innings in Game 1 … threw State's third complete game of the season.
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With one out, Nadia Barbary, Paige Cook and Jessie Blaine delivered three straight singles to load the bases. Aquana Brownlee reached first on a hit-by-pitch, scoring Barbary. Ella Wesolowski reached on a fielder's choice to third but, Cook beat the throw home. Madisyn Kennedy drove in Blaine with a sacrifice fly to center.
No. 23 Louisiana 0, Mississippi State 3
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Bottom 2
Salen Hawkins drew a walk to open the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brylie St Clair. Â Sierra Sacco drew a walk before Barbary doubled down the left field line, scoring Hawkins and advancing Sacco to third. Cook lined a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Sacco.
No. 23 Louisiana 0, Mississippi State 5
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Top 3
Sam Roe doubled to center field and advanced to third on Maddie Hayden's single to right field. With a 3-2 count, Sophie Piskos struck out swinging but reached first on a passed ball, and Roe came home to score.
No. 23 Louisiana 1, Mississippi State 5
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Bottom 3
Wesolowski singled up the middle and advanced to second on Hawkins' single to right field. St. Clair reached first on an error by the shortstop and Wesolowski scored from second on the play.
No. 23 Louisiana 1, Mississippi State 6
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Bottom 4
Barbary reached first on an error by the shortstop. Jadyn Burney entered the game to pinch run for Barbary. Burney took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on Cook's ground out to second. Blaine drove in Burney with a double to left-center field, and Kat Wallace pinch ran for Blaine. Brownlee singled down the left field line, scoring Wallace.
No. 23 Louisiana 1, Mississippi State 8
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Bottom 6
Wesolowski starts off the inning with a single to right-center field, advancing to second on Kennedy's single to left field. Hawkins loaded the bases with a bunt down the third base line. St Clair singled to left-center field scoring Wesolowski.
No. 23 Louisiana 1, Mississippi State 9
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To start the inning, Sierra Sacco beat out a bunt single to third. Nadia Barbary moved Sacco to second with a bloop single to left field. Sacco and Barbary executed a double steal, and with one out, scored on Jessie Blaine's double through the left side.
No. 23 Louisiana 0, Mississippi State 2
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Top 6
With one out, Sophie Piskos singled to third base. She advanced to third on Alexa Langeliers' double down the left field line. Lauren Allred grounded out to first, scoring Piskos.
No. 23 Louisiana 1, Mississippi State 2
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wesley, Aspen (2-0)
L: Sam Landry (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Mihyia Davis 1 ; Alexa Langeliers 2 ; Sam Roe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sam Roe 1
SB: Mihyia Davis 1
HBP: Mihyia Davis 1 ; Lauren Allred 1
Batting:
2B: Barbary, Nadia 1 ; Blaine, Jessie 1
RBI: Barbary, Nadia 1 ; Cook, Paige 1 ; Blaine, Jessie 1 ; Brownlee, Aquana 2 ; Wesolowski, Ella 1 ; Kennedy, Madisyn 1 ; St. Clair, Brylie 1
SH: St. Clair, Brylie 1
SF: Cook, Paige 1 ; Kennedy, Madisyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sacco, Sierra 1 ; Barbary, Nadia 1 ; Burney, Jadyn 1 ; Cook, Paige 1 ; Blaine, Jessie 1 ; Wallace, Kat 1 ; Wesolowski, Ella 2 ; Hawkins, Salen 1
SB: St. Clair, Brylie 1
HBP: Brownlee, Aquana 1 ; Sosa, Lexi 1
