Relentless offense leads No. 21 Bulldog softball to series win over Auburn, 9-4
A big series win is secured for Mississippi State softball.
The No. 21 Bulldogs have had a major challenge in front of them this weekend with the No. 18 Auburn Tigers and have come away victorious in two tries. A day after Raelin Chaffin won a tough 5-4 game, the Lady Bulldog offense would be the relentless force on Sunday night.
State built a five-run lead on two separate occasions and hit three huge home runs on the way to a 9-4 victory. Chaffin played a factor again for the second-straight night as she ended any threat by the Tigers with her 2.0 scoreless frames.
A relentless approach at the plate combatted Auburn’s offense on Sunday night. State got it started in the first with a double from Nadia Barbary and a one-out RBI single from Kiarra Sells making it 1-0.
An error in the second scored another run and Morgan Stiles added to the lead with an RBI double. Lexi Sosa would push the lead to 5-0 with her two-run homer in the fifth and the Bulldogs were barking.
After Auburn cut into that lead with a two-run home run of its own, the Bulldogs answered back in the fourth when Sierra Sacco hit a two-run blast to right center field and the lead was 7-2.
Chaffin was called upon in the sixth inning after a couple of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with no one out. After surrendering a two-run single, Chaffin buckled down and got consecutive outs to end the thread at 7-4.
In the bottom of that frame, Stiles would deliver the final blow when she battled off a full count at bat and hammered a two-run homer over the wall in left field. From there, Chaffin pitched a perfect seventh inning to win the game.
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The Bulldogs finished with nine hits in the game with three home runs and three doubles. Stiles led the squad with a 2-for-3 day with three RBI, a double and a home run. Sacco and Sosa finished with the two RBI each off of their respective home runs. The State offense had just one strikeout the entire game.
Josey Marron got the win after throwing 2.0 innings of relief with zero hits, two runs, three walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore Delainey Everett started the game and went 3.0 innings, scattered five hits, one earned run and no walks while striking out four.
Chaffin earned the save with 2.0 shutout innings and she had a hit and a strikeout. This came 24 hours after the talented Bulldog hurler threw over 130 pitches in the win.
The Bulldogs (21-3, 2-0 SEC) will go for an impressive sweep on Monday night as the Bulldogs take on the Tigers at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. Nearly 2,000 State fans packed Nusz Park for the regular season attendance record on Saturday night and will have a chance to add to the numbers on Monday.
