Saturday, April 12
Starkville
2 p.m.
Mississippi State
32-11, 8-6
8
vs
12
Missouri
21-23, 3-11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Missouri
4
1
0
6
0
1
0
12
14
0
Mississippi State
0
5
0
0
0
1
2
8
12
3
Bulldogs Drop High-Scoring Game To Missouri
April 12, 2025 | Softball
STARKVILLE – A second five-plus-run deficit proved to be too much for No. 16 Mississippi State to overcome on Saturday as the Bulldogs fell, 12-8, to Missouri.
State (32-11, 8-6 SEC) scored eight runs on 12 hits. The Bulldogs erased an early five-run deficit with the help of a Sierra Sacco grand slam. That stood as MSU's sixth grand slam of the year, which broke the single-season school record. A six-run fourth inning from Missouri (21-23, 3-11 SEC), which included a grand slam for the Tigers, proved to be the difference.
"It's something that we've talked about in this league. You can't take anything for granted, and even after a 7-0 win yesterday you have to come out ready to play at the end of the day," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think [Missouri] definitely punched us in the mouth first, and I thought we had some opportunities. We answered back early, but you just can't give another big inning. Two big innings is tough to kind of climb back from. We have to be ready to come back and fight tomorrow to take a series and just continue to treat all of these like postseason, like a super regional would be. That's how we're going to continue to get better."
Ella Wesolowski had a career day in just her eighth start of the year. The sophomore finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and raised her batting average 170 points. Along with her career-high four hits, she totaled a career-high two doubles. Defensively, she picked off a runner and caught a runner stealing at second. Nadia Barbary and Morgan Bernardini also drove in runs in the game.
"It was good to see Ella kind of settle in at the plate as well. That's what we know she can do. It's what she did all last year. This year has just been a little bit tougher for her coming back from a couple of injuries, but it was good to see her kind of settle in. I think she's a huge part of us going forward and what she provides behind the plate. I mean, the pickoff to get us out of the inning early, the throwing out the stealing runner, and then, also the day at the plate."
Ella Wesolowski on how she played today...
"I just try to embrace the role that Coach Ricketts gives me any time, whether it's going in for defense or offense. I'm just trying to do my job, whether it is just catching or just offense. Today my goal was to see it. Me and Ricketts have been working on just being slow with the ball and then letting it get deep. Just seeing it because sometimes I can get a little antsy, but I'm really just trying to embrace what she wants me to do and attack when I go in there."
Nadia Barbary – Hit her ninth double of the season … also drove in a run.
Morgan Bernardini – Hit an RBI single in the seventh.
Sierra Sacco – Hit a grand slam to tie the game, which broke MSU's single-season record for grand slams by the team in a season (6) … has homered eight times this year, which is tied for third on the team … also added a single for her team-leading 21st multi-hit game of the season.
Kiarra Sells – Was hit by a pitch for the 16th time this season, which is tied for fourth in MSU single-season history.
Ella Wesolowski – Collected a career-high in hits going 4-for-4 today for her second multi-hit game of the year … hit a career-high two doubles … collected her second pickoff of the season, which was State's seventh as a team and broke the single-season team record … also caught a runner stealing in the second … raised her batting average 90 points today and is now batting .237 ... grabbed her second multi-RBI game of the year.
Julia Crenshaw was hit by a pitch to open the game. Claire Cahalan pinch ran and advanced to second on Nevaeh Watkin's left-field single. Madison Walker bunted the runners to second and third before they scored on Taylor Ebbs' double. Abby Hay singled to right field, scoring Ebbs. Stefania Abruscato doubled, advancing Hay to third. An error by the second baseman allowed Sophie Smith to reach first and Hay to score.
Missouri 4, No. 16 Mississippi State 0
Top 2
Kayley Lenger hit a leadoff homer to center field.
Missouri 5, No. 16 Mississippi State 0
Bottom 2
Morgan Stiles hit a leadoff single to left field. With one out, Morgan Bernardini singled, advancing Stiles. Ella Wesolowski doubled over the center fielder, scoring Stiles and advancing Bernardini to third. Pinch hitter Paige Ernstes walked to load the bases, and Riley Hull re-entered to run at first before Sierra Sacco hit a grand slam to right-center field.
Missouri 5, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Top 4
Madison Uptegrove hit a leadoff double to right-center. Sophie Smith laid down a sacrifice bunt but reached safely when the ball popped out on the first baseman's tag attempt. Lenger was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cahalan singled to left, scoring Uptegrove and advancing both Smith and Lenger. With one out, Walker hit a grand slam to left field. Hay and Abruscato followed up with consecutive doubles, scoring Hay.
Missouri 11, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Top 6
With two outs, Ebbs hit a home run through center field.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Bottom 6
Wesolowski singled to center to open the frame. She was retired at second as Hull reached on a fielder's choice. Hull advanced to second on Sacco's single. With two outs, Nadia Barbary hit a double, scoring Hull.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 6
Bottom 7
Stiles singled up the middle to lead off the inning. She advanced to second on a Jessie Blaine walk. Bernardini singled to left, scoring Stiles and advancing Blaine to second. Wesolowski then singled to left to score.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 8
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
State (32-11, 8-6 SEC) scored eight runs on 12 hits. The Bulldogs erased an early five-run deficit with the help of a Sierra Sacco grand slam. That stood as MSU's sixth grand slam of the year, which broke the single-season school record. A six-run fourth inning from Missouri (21-23, 3-11 SEC), which included a grand slam for the Tigers, proved to be the difference.
"It's something that we've talked about in this league. You can't take anything for granted, and even after a 7-0 win yesterday you have to come out ready to play at the end of the day," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think [Missouri] definitely punched us in the mouth first, and I thought we had some opportunities. We answered back early, but you just can't give another big inning. Two big innings is tough to kind of climb back from. We have to be ready to come back and fight tomorrow to take a series and just continue to treat all of these like postseason, like a super regional would be. That's how we're going to continue to get better."
Ella Wesolowski had a career day in just her eighth start of the year. The sophomore finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and raised her batting average 170 points. Along with her career-high four hits, she totaled a career-high two doubles. Defensively, she picked off a runner and caught a runner stealing at second. Nadia Barbary and Morgan Bernardini also drove in runs in the game.
Quotables
Samantha Ricketts on Ella Wesolowski's performance today…"It was good to see Ella kind of settle in at the plate as well. That's what we know she can do. It's what she did all last year. This year has just been a little bit tougher for her coming back from a couple of injuries, but it was good to see her kind of settle in. I think she's a huge part of us going forward and what she provides behind the plate. I mean, the pickoff to get us out of the inning early, the throwing out the stealing runner, and then, also the day at the plate."
Ella Wesolowski on how she played today...
"I just try to embrace the role that Coach Ricketts gives me any time, whether it's going in for defense or offense. I'm just trying to do my job, whether it is just catching or just offense. Today my goal was to see it. Me and Ricketts have been working on just being slow with the ball and then letting it get deep. Just seeing it because sometimes I can get a little antsy, but I'm really just trying to embrace what she wants me to do and attack when I go in there."
Quick Hitters
Call The Bomb Squad – MSU has scored 110 runs off homers this year, which amounts to 31.3 percent of State's scoring this season … the Bulldogs' 57 homers this year are fourth in program history, and their six grand slams are a school record … five players have at least eight home runs.Nadia Barbary – Hit her ninth double of the season … also drove in a run.
Morgan Bernardini – Hit an RBI single in the seventh.
Sierra Sacco – Hit a grand slam to tie the game, which broke MSU's single-season record for grand slams by the team in a season (6) … has homered eight times this year, which is tied for third on the team … also added a single for her team-leading 21st multi-hit game of the season.
Kiarra Sells – Was hit by a pitch for the 16th time this season, which is tied for fourth in MSU single-season history.
Ella Wesolowski – Collected a career-high in hits going 4-for-4 today for her second multi-hit game of the year … hit a career-high two doubles … collected her second pickoff of the season, which was State's seventh as a team and broke the single-season team record … also caught a runner stealing in the second … raised her batting average 90 points today and is now batting .237 ... grabbed her second multi-RBI game of the year.
Soring Recap
Top 1Julia Crenshaw was hit by a pitch to open the game. Claire Cahalan pinch ran and advanced to second on Nevaeh Watkin's left-field single. Madison Walker bunted the runners to second and third before they scored on Taylor Ebbs' double. Abby Hay singled to right field, scoring Ebbs. Stefania Abruscato doubled, advancing Hay to third. An error by the second baseman allowed Sophie Smith to reach first and Hay to score.
Missouri 4, No. 16 Mississippi State 0
Top 2
Kayley Lenger hit a leadoff homer to center field.
Missouri 5, No. 16 Mississippi State 0
Bottom 2
Morgan Stiles hit a leadoff single to left field. With one out, Morgan Bernardini singled, advancing Stiles. Ella Wesolowski doubled over the center fielder, scoring Stiles and advancing Bernardini to third. Pinch hitter Paige Ernstes walked to load the bases, and Riley Hull re-entered to run at first before Sierra Sacco hit a grand slam to right-center field.
Missouri 5, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Top 4
Madison Uptegrove hit a leadoff double to right-center. Sophie Smith laid down a sacrifice bunt but reached safely when the ball popped out on the first baseman's tag attempt. Lenger was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cahalan singled to left, scoring Uptegrove and advancing both Smith and Lenger. With one out, Walker hit a grand slam to left field. Hay and Abruscato followed up with consecutive doubles, scoring Hay.
Missouri 11, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Top 6
With two outs, Ebbs hit a home run through center field.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 5
Bottom 6
Wesolowski singled to center to open the frame. She was retired at second as Hull reached on a fielder's choice. Hull advanced to second on Sacco's single. With two outs, Nadia Barbary hit a double, scoring Hull.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 6
Bottom 7
Stiles singled up the middle to lead off the inning. She advanced to second on a Jessie Blaine walk. Bernardini singled to left, scoring Stiles and advancing Blaine to second. Wesolowski then singled to left to score.
Missouri 12, No. 16 Mississippi State 8
Next Up
The series finale is set for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday and will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The Bulldogs are hosting their annual First Responder Day with a home run derby between the Starkville fire and police departments after the game.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McCann, Marissa (8-9)
L: Sosa, Lexi (3-1)
Batting:
2B: Ebbs, Taylor 1 ; Hay, Abby 1 ; Abruscato, Stefania 2 ; Uptegrove, Madison 1
HR: Walker, Madison 1 ; Ebbs, Taylor 1 ; Lenger, Kayley 1
RBI: Cahalan, Claire 1 ; Walker, Madison 4 ; Ebbs, Taylor 3 ; Hay, Abby 1 ; Abruscato, Stefania 1 ; Lenger, Kayley 1
SH: Walker, Madison 1 ; Smith, Sophie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cahalan, Claire 2 ; Watkins, Nevaeh 1 ; Walker, Madison 1 ; Ebbs, Taylor 2 ; Hay, Abby 2 ; Uptegrove, Madison 1 ; Smith, Sophie 1 ; Lenger, Kayley 2
CS: Cahalan, Claire 1
HBP: Crenshaw, Julia 1 ; Lenger, Kayley 1
PO: Smith, Sophie 1
Batting:
2B: Barbary, Nadia 1 ; Wesolowski, Ella 2
HR: Sacco, Sierra 1
RBI: Sacco, Sierra 4 ; Barbary, Nadia 1 ; Bernardini, Morgan 1 ; Wesolowski, Ella 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Sacco, Sierra 1 ; Stiles, Morgan 2 ; Blaine, Jessie 1 ; Bernardini, Morgan 1 ; Wesolowski, Ella 1 ; Hull, Riley 2
HBP: Sells, Kiarra 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
4
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C/OF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC/OF
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