Thursday, March 28
Starkville
5:00 PM
Mississippi State
13
vs
12
#10 Florida
State Scores Seven In Sixth Inning For Epic Comeback Against No. 10 Florida
March 28, 2024 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Trailing 12-6 in the bottom of the sixth, No. 17/17 Mississippi State scored seven runs to defeat No. 10/9 Florida at home on Thursday night. State is now 8-4 against ranked teams this year with two top-10 wins.
The Bulldogs' (25-7, 6-4 SEC) rally was capped by a Paige Cook two-out, two-run, game-winning homer in the bottom of the sixth.
"It was such an exciting game," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think we knew going into it that it was going to be a battle. I don't know if we quite expected an offensive battle in Game 1, but it is two of the top offenses in the conference. I'm just really proud of the fight the girls showed. Even when we got down big by six there, they never seemed discouraged. They were just expecting to go out there and continue to have quality at-bats and make that pitcher work. I'm just really proud of the fight they showed there at the end."
State's rally started when Jessie Blaine led off with a double. Her pinch runner would eventually score on an error. A sacrifice fly cut the lead to four runs. Salen Hawkins beat out an infield single to start a run of four straight hits that saw the Bulldogs trim the deficit to one with the help of a wild pitch. Cook then came to the plate and drove the second pitch she saw over the center field wall.
Florida (29-5, 5-2 SEC) had opened the scoring and jumped out to a 2-0 lead through two innings. MSU battled back to take the lead on a Hawkins homer and Madisyn Kennedy home run in the third. The Gators then scored five in both the fourth and the fifth to build their lead. Including their seven-run sixth, State scored nine runs in its final two trips to the plate.
"I really thought that inning was sparked by our dugout. They'd been saying early on, 'Hey, we gotta get loud,' and I was telling them that we had to give the dugout something to be excited about. We've got to find some hits and some quality at-bats. I thought they got loud and energized the lineup, and really, finally got them going. You know what, we're fine. This is our game. We play best when we're loose and having fun. They started that rally, and I thought the hitters really adjusted to our plan and just really bought in and attacked the pitches we were looking for."
Madisyn Kennedy on Paige Cook's home run and their relationship…
"It's pretty special. She and I spent all fall in the training room together, so we definitely built a bond there. We started freshman year as roommates and got to know each other throughout the years and fooled around in the training room with each other. It's special to watch that and watch her get that big hit. I struck out, but she has my back, and that's up and down through the lineup. We know we are going to have each other's back."
Paige Cook on her relationship with Madisyn Kennedy…
"It meant a lot especially because Maddy and I were roommates our freshman year and just to see where we started with each other and how much we have grown to this point. Every single at bat following her up, us being back-to-back in the lineup is like a freshman that would never have guessed it being in the position we are today. Being together and being successful like we have been this year especially coming off an injury and all the rehab, it's like everything was worth it and it was meant for this moment."
Salen Hawkins on battling back late in the game...
"I think we definitely want to strike first. It's not how you start though. It's how you finish. We thought about it like that. We had seven innings. We knew we had plenty of game left. We knew we could get some hits eventually, and we were able to do so."
Nadia Barbary – Hit her team-leading ninth double of the year … recorded her team-leading 10th multi-hit game this season and eight multi-RBI game … scored a career-high three times and matched her career high with three hits.
Paige Cook – Hit a two-run homer … now has 25 career home runs, which is 10th in program history … now has 57 career two-out RBIs, which is tied for fifth in school history.
Salen Hawkins – Hit her third career home run … now has nine multi-hit games this season … turned her 10th double play of the year.
Madisyn Kennedy – Hit her 36th career home run which is one away from cracking the MSU top five … drove in four RBIs … now has five multi-hit games this season.
Ella Wesolowski – Recorded two singles for her sixth career multi-hit game … stole the first base of her career.
With one out, Skylar Wallace was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Jocelyn Erickson hit a single to right field to score Wallace.
No. 17 Mississippi State 0, No. 10 Florida 1
Top 2
Ava Brown hit a leadoff home run to right-center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 0, No. 10 Florida 2
Bottom 3
With one out, Salen Hawkins hit a solo home run to left field. Sierra Sacco singled to left field and scored on Nadia Barbary's double to center field. Madisyn Kennedy hit a two-run homer to left field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 2
Top 4
Brown drew a leadoff walk, and Brooke Barnard pinch ran. She advanced to second on Ariel Kowalewski's walk. Mia Williams bunted the runners to second and third. Kendra Falby beat out a single to first to load the bases. Wallace was hit by a pitch, and Korbe Otis walked to score two runs. Reagan Walsh doubled to center field, scoring Falby and Wallace and moving Otis to third. Otis then was awarded home on review after being caught stealing due to obstruction.
No. 17 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 7
Bottom 5
Hawkins drew a walk with one out. Sacco reached on fielder's choice as Hawkins was forced out at second. Barbary singled through the left side and advanced Sacco to second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Kennedy doubled down the left field line, scoring Sacco and Barbary.
No. 17 Mississippi State 6, No. 10 Florida 7
Top 6
Falby singled to shortstop and advanced to second on Wallace's single to center field. Korbe Otis tripled to right field, Falby and Wallace scored. Reagan Walsh singled up the middle, Otis scored. Baylee Goddard hit a two-run homer to center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 6, No. 10 Florida 12
Bottom 6
Jessie Blaine hit a leadoff double to right field, and Kat Wallace ran for her. Ella Wesolowski singled to left field then stole second base while the infield waited for the pitcher to return to the circle. A throw trying to catch Wesolowski escaped into the outfield, allowing her to advance to third on the error while Wallace scored from third. Kiarra Sells pinch ran for Wesolowski at third and scored on Kylee Edwards' sacrifice fly to center field. Hawkins beat out a single to shortstop and advanced to third on pinch hitter Lexi Sosa's double down the third-base line. Brylie St. Clair re-entered the game to run for Sosa at second. Sacco singled to center field, and Hawkins scored, but St. Clair had to hold up at third. She later scored on a wild pitch, and Sacco advanced to second. Barbary singled down the first-base line, scoring Sacco, before Paige Cook hit a two-run homer to center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 13, No. 10 Florida 12
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
The Bulldogs' (25-7, 6-4 SEC) rally was capped by a Paige Cook two-out, two-run, game-winning homer in the bottom of the sixth.
"It was such an exciting game," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think we knew going into it that it was going to be a battle. I don't know if we quite expected an offensive battle in Game 1, but it is two of the top offenses in the conference. I'm just really proud of the fight the girls showed. Even when we got down big by six there, they never seemed discouraged. They were just expecting to go out there and continue to have quality at-bats and make that pitcher work. I'm just really proud of the fight they showed there at the end."
State's rally started when Jessie Blaine led off with a double. Her pinch runner would eventually score on an error. A sacrifice fly cut the lead to four runs. Salen Hawkins beat out an infield single to start a run of four straight hits that saw the Bulldogs trim the deficit to one with the help of a wild pitch. Cook then came to the plate and drove the second pitch she saw over the center field wall.
Florida (29-5, 5-2 SEC) had opened the scoring and jumped out to a 2-0 lead through two innings. MSU battled back to take the lead on a Hawkins homer and Madisyn Kennedy home run in the third. The Gators then scored five in both the fourth and the fifth to build their lead. Including their seven-run sixth, State scored nine runs in its final two trips to the plate.
Quotables
Samantha Ricketts on State's sixth inning rally… "I really thought that inning was sparked by our dugout. They'd been saying early on, 'Hey, we gotta get loud,' and I was telling them that we had to give the dugout something to be excited about. We've got to find some hits and some quality at-bats. I thought they got loud and energized the lineup, and really, finally got them going. You know what, we're fine. This is our game. We play best when we're loose and having fun. They started that rally, and I thought the hitters really adjusted to our plan and just really bought in and attacked the pitches we were looking for."
Madisyn Kennedy on Paige Cook's home run and their relationship…
"It's pretty special. She and I spent all fall in the training room together, so we definitely built a bond there. We started freshman year as roommates and got to know each other throughout the years and fooled around in the training room with each other. It's special to watch that and watch her get that big hit. I struck out, but she has my back, and that's up and down through the lineup. We know we are going to have each other's back."
Paige Cook on her relationship with Madisyn Kennedy…
"It meant a lot especially because Maddy and I were roommates our freshman year and just to see where we started with each other and how much we have grown to this point. Every single at bat following her up, us being back-to-back in the lineup is like a freshman that would never have guessed it being in the position we are today. Being together and being successful like we have been this year especially coming off an injury and all the rehab, it's like everything was worth it and it was meant for this moment."
Salen Hawkins on battling back late in the game...
"I think we definitely want to strike first. It's not how you start though. It's how you finish. We thought about it like that. We had seven innings. We knew we had plenty of game left. We knew we could get some hits eventually, and we were able to do so."
Quick Hitters
Everybody Up! – State overcame a six-run deficit in the sixth, scoring seven to win … the Bulldogs batted around for the ninth time this season, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs … the comeback was the fifth five-plus run comeback for MSU under Samantha Ricketts, which puts her in a tie for second among SEC coaches at their current school … marks State's largest comeback win since erasing a six-run deficit at North Alabama for a 9-7 win on April 3, 2021.Nadia Barbary – Hit her team-leading ninth double of the year … recorded her team-leading 10th multi-hit game this season and eight multi-RBI game … scored a career-high three times and matched her career high with three hits.
Paige Cook – Hit a two-run homer … now has 25 career home runs, which is 10th in program history … now has 57 career two-out RBIs, which is tied for fifth in school history.
Salen Hawkins – Hit her third career home run … now has nine multi-hit games this season … turned her 10th double play of the year.
Madisyn Kennedy – Hit her 36th career home run which is one away from cracking the MSU top five … drove in four RBIs … now has five multi-hit games this season.
Ella Wesolowski – Recorded two singles for her sixth career multi-hit game … stole the first base of her career.
Scoring Recap
Top 1With one out, Skylar Wallace was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Jocelyn Erickson hit a single to right field to score Wallace.
No. 17 Mississippi State 0, No. 10 Florida 1
Top 2
Ava Brown hit a leadoff home run to right-center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 0, No. 10 Florida 2
Bottom 3
With one out, Salen Hawkins hit a solo home run to left field. Sierra Sacco singled to left field and scored on Nadia Barbary's double to center field. Madisyn Kennedy hit a two-run homer to left field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 2
Top 4
Brown drew a leadoff walk, and Brooke Barnard pinch ran. She advanced to second on Ariel Kowalewski's walk. Mia Williams bunted the runners to second and third. Kendra Falby beat out a single to first to load the bases. Wallace was hit by a pitch, and Korbe Otis walked to score two runs. Reagan Walsh doubled to center field, scoring Falby and Wallace and moving Otis to third. Otis then was awarded home on review after being caught stealing due to obstruction.
No. 17 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 7
Bottom 5
Hawkins drew a walk with one out. Sacco reached on fielder's choice as Hawkins was forced out at second. Barbary singled through the left side and advanced Sacco to second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Kennedy doubled down the left field line, scoring Sacco and Barbary.
No. 17 Mississippi State 6, No. 10 Florida 7
Top 6
Falby singled to shortstop and advanced to second on Wallace's single to center field. Korbe Otis tripled to right field, Falby and Wallace scored. Reagan Walsh singled up the middle, Otis scored. Baylee Goddard hit a two-run homer to center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 6, No. 10 Florida 12
Bottom 6
Jessie Blaine hit a leadoff double to right field, and Kat Wallace ran for her. Ella Wesolowski singled to left field then stole second base while the infield waited for the pitcher to return to the circle. A throw trying to catch Wesolowski escaped into the outfield, allowing her to advance to third on the error while Wallace scored from third. Kiarra Sells pinch ran for Wesolowski at third and scored on Kylee Edwards' sacrifice fly to center field. Hawkins beat out a single to shortstop and advanced to third on pinch hitter Lexi Sosa's double down the third-base line. Brylie St. Clair re-entered the game to run for Sosa at second. Sacco singled to center field, and Hawkins scored, but St. Clair had to hold up at third. She later scored on a wild pitch, and Sacco advanced to second. Barbary singled down the first-base line, scoring Sacco, before Paige Cook hit a two-run homer to center field.
No. 17 Mississippi State 13, No. 10 Florida 12
Next Up
The Bulldogs and Gators continue their series on SEC Network+ on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
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UTL
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INF
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OF
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UTL
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OF
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INF
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C/OF
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