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Softball Bulldogs earn first-ever series win at No. 25 Alabama

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•about 7 hours•

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Raelin Chaffin (Photo by Mississippi State Athletics)

For a second-straight week, Mississippi State came away with a huge weekend series win over a ranked team from the state of Alabama.

After sweeping the Auburn Tigers to start the SEC slate, the Bulldog softball team was back at it this week. State traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 23 Alabama and the Bulldogs came away with the first series win over the Crimson Tide in T-Town in school history.

State did it on Sunday after knocking off the Tide with a late rally. With two outs in the sixth and following in an intentional walk, Nadia Barbary came through with a clutch RBI single to break a tie and take a 4-3 lead.

Raelin Chaffin (14-1) would buckle down in the final two innings and pitch near flawless softball with an error from the defense in the sixth being the only traffic. Chaffin continued her terrific start to her State career by pitching a complete game with seven scattered hits, three runs, one walk and four strikeouts.

MSU made the most of its offense in the game as the Bulldogs were held to just five hits. Sierra Sacco was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks. Her intentional walk in the sixth would set up Barbary to do some damage. State walked six times in the win.

The Bulldogs (24-5, 5-1 SEC) started the weekend by breaking out the bats for the first run-rule against Bama on its field in school history. In game one of a Friday double-header, State won a 9-1 game in six innings.

After building a 3-0 lead, State exploded for six runs in the final two innings for the run-rule. The Bulldogs pounded out 12 hits in the win with Jessie Blaine finishing 3-for-4 with three RBI and a home run. Sacco, Barbary, and Kylee Edwards all had two hits with Edward driving in three runs with a home run. Sacco had a double.

Morgan Bernadrini also came up with a big hit in the win as she hit a long ball.

Chaffin also earned the win in that game with 6.0 innings, eight hit, one unearned run, three walks and seven strikeouts.

The Bulldogs are through the first two weekends second in the conference behind Oklahoma. They will move back into non-conference play this week as they travel to Birmingham to take on UAB on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before taking on Northwestern in a three-game set in Evanston, Ill., on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and a double header on Saturday starting at Noon.

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