Saturday, April 11
Starkville
2 p.m.
Mississippi State
34-10, 6-8
0
vs
8
#8 Arkansas
34-6, 9-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs Drop Middle Game To No. 8 Arkansas
April 11, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE – No. 13 Mississippi State fell, 8-0, to No. 8 Arkansas in five innings on Saturday afternoon.
Arkansas (34-6, 9-5 SEC) entered the fifth inning without a hit, but eight of the first nine Razorbacks reached in the inning as they plated eight runs on eight hits in the frame.
"They're one of the best teams in the country, one of the best offenses in the country for a reason," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think we expect more of ourselves in the fight we show, and I look forward to seeing how we respond tomorrow. It can change quickly, and I thought they did a really good job early in the counts and hunting for their pitch. I think that's what good offenses do, and they really went after us in the fifth."
Gabby Schaeffer had State's (34-10, 6-8 SEC) lone hit, and Kiarra Sells drew a walk. Alyssa Faircloth drew the start in the circle, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings before giving way to Leila Ammon. Delainey Everett got the final two outs of the fifth inning.
"I'd like to see a few more adjustments. We had a couple hard hit balls, but we can't continue to kind of all get out the same way. With big credits to them, they do a really good job mixing speeds and locations and hitting their spots. Their pitching staff sometimes doesn't get the credit behind their offense, but they're just a really well-rounded team. For us and our expectations, we expect to be able to compete day-in and day-out with teams like that."
Kiarra Sells on what the team was seeing from Arkansas pitching and making adjustments...
"We were seeing a lot of up-spin, which is kind of something that we knew going into the game. I think we were just having a really hard time making adjustments. That is kind of where it's at right now. We also need to trust the process of the ones that we are hitting super hard, that they are going to fall."
Tianna Bell led off with single. With one out, Kailey Wyckoff and Kennedy Miller hit back-to-back singles to load the bases. Ramsey Walker pitch ran for Bell, and Kyler Del Duca ran for Wyckoff. With the bases loaded, Karlie Davison walked to score Walker. De Luca then scored on a base hit from Raegan Johnson. Brinli Bain doubled, scoring Miller and Davison as Johnson advanced to third. Ella McDowell singled Johnson home before Dakota Kennedy hit a three-run homer.
No. 8 Arkansas 8, No. 13 Mississippi State 0
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Arkansas (34-6, 9-5 SEC) entered the fifth inning without a hit, but eight of the first nine Razorbacks reached in the inning as they plated eight runs on eight hits in the frame.
"They're one of the best teams in the country, one of the best offenses in the country for a reason," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "I think we expect more of ourselves in the fight we show, and I look forward to seeing how we respond tomorrow. It can change quickly, and I thought they did a really good job early in the counts and hunting for their pitch. I think that's what good offenses do, and they really went after us in the fifth."
Gabby Schaeffer had State's (34-10, 6-8 SEC) lone hit, and Kiarra Sells drew a walk. Alyssa Faircloth drew the start in the circle, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings before giving way to Leila Ammon. Delainey Everett got the final two outs of the fifth inning.
Quotables
Samantha Ricketts on State's offense today..."I'd like to see a few more adjustments. We had a couple hard hit balls, but we can't continue to kind of all get out the same way. With big credits to them, they do a really good job mixing speeds and locations and hitting their spots. Their pitching staff sometimes doesn't get the credit behind their offense, but they're just a really well-rounded team. For us and our expectations, we expect to be able to compete day-in and day-out with teams like that."
Kiarra Sells on what the team was seeing from Arkansas pitching and making adjustments...
"We were seeing a lot of up-spin, which is kind of something that we knew going into the game. I think we were just having a really hard time making adjustments. That is kind of where it's at right now. We also need to trust the process of the ones that we are hitting super hard, that they are going to fall."
Scoring Recap
Top 5Tianna Bell led off with single. With one out, Kailey Wyckoff and Kennedy Miller hit back-to-back singles to load the bases. Ramsey Walker pitch ran for Bell, and Kyler Del Duca ran for Wyckoff. With the bases loaded, Karlie Davison walked to score Walker. De Luca then scored on a base hit from Raegan Johnson. Brinli Bain doubled, scoring Miller and Davison as Johnson advanced to third. Ella McDowell singled Johnson home before Dakota Kennedy hit a three-run homer.
No. 8 Arkansas 8, No. 13 Mississippi State 0
Next Up
The rubber match in the series is set for 11 a.m. CT on Sunday morning. The game will air on SEC Network+.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Payton Burnham (9-3)
L: Faircloth, Alyssa (10-4)
Batting:
2B: Brinli Bain 1
HR: Dakota Kennedy 1
RBI: Reagan Johnson 1 ; Brinli Bain 2 ; Ella McDowell 1 ; Dakota Kennedy 3 ; Karlie Davison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reagan Johnson 1 ; Brinli Bain 1 ; Ella McDowell 1 ; Dakota Kennedy 1 ; Ramsey Walker 1 ; Kyler Del Duca 1 ; Kennedy Miller 1 ; Karlie Davison 1
Batting:
2B: Schaeffer, Gabby 1
Game Leaders
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
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