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No. 1 Texas, No. 17 Mississippi State split Friday doubleheader

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby:Brady Vernon•03/28/25•

BradyVernon

Screenshot 2025-03-28 at 7.31.24 PM
Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics

No. 17 Mississippi State was three outs away from sweeping a doubleheader and clinching the series over No. 1 Texas. But a seventh inning rally in the nightcap rally forced a rubber match on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

Game 1: Mississippi State 4, Texas 3

The two teams traded blows, entering the seventh tied at three. Samantha Ricketts called upon Paige Ernstes to pinch hit and Erstes played hero. She perfectly placed a ball down the left field line that found its way into the corner, letting pinch runner Abby Richardson score from first base to secure the first win.

Mississippi State manufactured a run in the second on a double steal play. Morgan Stiles hit a solo home run off of Texas starter Teagan Kavan in the second inning to double the Bulldogs’ lead. Kavan did settle in after that, allowing the Longhorns to potentially make a comeback.

And they did as they finally got to Raelin Chaffin. Leighann Goode hit a solo shot to open the sixth inning. The next two Texas batters also reached base. Mia Scott tied the game with a sacrifice fly and Reese Atwood came through with a two-out go-ahead RBI single.

Mississippi State wasn’t going to give in. The scarpy dogs came right back. Sierra Sacco reached second after Kaydee Bennett made a diving stop but threw the ball away. Nadia Barbary drove her in with a single to tie it again.

Chaffin pitched a clean seventh to allow the walk-off.

Game 2: Texas 7, Mississippi State 3

With a two-run lead Ricketts went back to Chaffin in relief, hoping to win the series. But the Longhorns made the adjustments. Atwood came through with an RBI single in the sixth to pull Texas within one.

In the seventh, Joely Mitchell hit a solo home run off of Chaffin to tie it. The Longhorns kept passing the bat. Kayden Henry hit their third straight single for the go-ahead RBI single. Scott hit her second home run of the game, a three-run blast to make it 7-3, the eventual final score.

Mississippi State hit a pair of solo home runs against Texas starter Mac Morgan in the second. Stiles and Lexi Sosa came through with the big swings. Citlaly Gutierrez came in after that and settled things down despite the Bulldogs adding a run in the third.

She went 4.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and honestly the best she’s looked recently. However, she did allow the first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh. Mike White didn’t risk it, going back to Kavan for the save. The Texas ace answered, striking out the first two she faced below rolling the game-ending groundout.

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