Bulldogs Falter Late Wednesday Night At SEC Tournament

Wednesday, May 8

Auburn, Ala.

Approx. 7:00 PM

Mississippi State

33-18

South Carolina

34-21

South Carolina

Mississippi State

Bulldogs Falter Late Wednesday Night At SEC Tournament

May 09, 2024 | Softball

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By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 17 Mississippi State's SEC Tournament run ended late Wednesday night as the Bulldogs fell, 8-4, to South Carolina.

Thanks to two record-breaking extra-inning affairs earlier in the day, State (33-18, 12-12 SEC) didn't take the field until after 10 p.m. CT, and the game did not end until Thursday morning.

South Carolina jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings, before a pair of doubles from Ella Wesolowski and Matalasi Faapito put the Bulldogs on the board. After a four-run fifth inning for South Carolina, Madisyn Kennedy answered with a three-run homer to left in the bottom of the frame.

"I think we didn't come out with our best game, and, obviously, Aspen Wesley was a little bit off, especially from what we've seen from her lately," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Our goal was to come out and try to have her back the way she's had our backs so many times before. I thought Delainey [Everett] did a great job of that pitching. She really kept us in the game and gave us a chance to fight back. Madi [Kennedy] had a huge two-out swing for us, but going into the postseason we know we have to come out stronger, more locked in and focused, from the first pitch on – not letting the delay or the late start time be an excuse because it's the same for both teams."

Delainey Everett was phenomenal out of the bullpen, tossing the final 2.1 innings. She entered with two outs and a runner on third and quickly got out of the jam. She went on to strike out four of the next six batters and did not allow a batter to reach base.

"For us, it's shake it off," Ricketts added. "Get back to work, and use it as motivation as we wait to see what Selection Sunday holds for us."

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on what the delay was like for her team…
"We had an idea after the first game went 14 innings, so that helped. We didn't have to sit at the field all day. We were able to stay at the hotel. I thought they did a good job of staying loose. We got to get up and warm up again and take some extra swings. I don't really know where it didn't click when we started the game, but for some reason it just didn't seem like we came out with the same energy for this type of game that we usually do."

Madisyn Kennedy on what adjustments she's had to make at the plate over the course of the season…
"It's definitely no secret that it hasn't been going well for the past few weeks. It's just knowing my zone and knowing that they're going to pitch around me but still whenever they give me a pitch to hit, I better hit it and put a good swing on it and do what I can for the team. They're eventually going to leave something, and when they do, I've got to put a good swing on it."

Quick Hitters

Delainey Everett – Struck out four in 2.1 perfect innings of relief work.

Matalasi Faapito – Recorded her first multi-hit game of the year … doubled to give her two extra-base hits this season, both in her last two games … reached in all three trips after drawing a walk.

Salen Hawkins – Singled and scored.

Madisyn Kennedy – Became the fourth player in program history to hit 40 career home runs … now tied for fourth in MSU single-season history with 56 RBIs … hit a three-run homer tonight … 17 homers this year are tied for seventh in MSU single-season history … 12 of her 17 homers have come with runners on base … leads the team with 13 multi-RBI games … home run came with two outs, giving her 24 for the season, which is tied for third in program history, and 65 for her career, which is second all-time at State.

Sierra Sacco – Doubled for the sixth time this year … also walked to reach twice.

Ella Wesolowski – Drove an RBI double … added a single for her ninth multi-hit game of the year.

Scoring Recap

Top 1
Denver Bryant beat out a bunt single, and Riley Blampied bunted her to second with the first out. Zoe Laneaux doubled to left-center field to score Bryant. She came home on Aniyah Black's two-out single down the left field line.
South Carolina 2, No. 17 Mississippi State 0

Top 2
With one out, Giulia Desiderio singled to left. With two outs, Desiderio beat the throw to second on a diving play up the middle as Bryant collected a single. Blampied walked to load the bases. Zoe Laneaux singled to first to score Desiderio. Jen Cummings was hit by a pitch to score Bryant.
South Carolina 4, No. 17 Mississippi State 0

Bottom 2
Matalasi Faapito led off with a double to right-center. Morgan Bernardini pinch ran at second and advanced to third on Paige Cook's ground out off the pitcher's glove. Ella Wesolowski doubled to score Bernardini.
South Carolina 4, No. 17 Mississippi State 1

Top 5
Cummings singled to left-center, and Kyye Ricks pinch ran. Ricks advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch. She scored on Black's double to right-center field. Emma Sellers pinch ran for Black at second. Kianna Jones beat out a bunt single, and Sellers advanced to third. Bre Warren hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Sellers. Desiderio walked, pushing Jones to second. Brooke Blankenship reached on a fielder's choice that saw Desiderio retired at second as Jones moved to third. Bryant doubled to straightaway center to score both runners.
South Carolina 8, No. 17 Mississippi State 1

Bottom 5
With one out, Salen Hawkins singled through the left side, and Sacco walked. With two outs, Madisyn Kennedy hit a three-run homer to left.
South Carolina 8, No. 17 Mississippi State 4

Next Up

The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday, May 12 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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