STARKVILLE, Miss. — Peja Goold pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out nine batters, as No. 12 Mississippi State defeated No. 23 South Carolina 2-0 on Sunday to even their series.
Goold, who has thrown nine complete games this season with seven shutouts, kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard and did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning, according to the Bulldogs’ release.
The Bulldogs (31-7, 3-5 SEC) scored both runs in the bottom of the sixth. Nadia Barbary led off with her second single of the game. Ally Supan pinch ran at first and advanced to second on a bunt by Paige Ernstes. A South Carolina error allowed Supan to score, and Kinley Keller added an RBI single to extend the lead.
Mississippi State’s head coach Samantha Ricketts praised her team’s resilience. “I love the response. This team has done a great job of bouncing back all year long,” she said. “The energy, focus, and effort starting from warmups carried through the game. We needed to capitalize on opportunities, and we did late in the game.”
Keller, who had an RBI single, emphasized her approach at the plate. “Coach Zac Shaw and Coach Bratton told me to stay through the ball and do it,” she said.
Next up, the series concludes Monday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Ricketts will be mic’d up for the broadcast as part of SEC Network’s Mic’d Up Monday segment.
For more information, fans can follow Mississippi State softball on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram under the handle “HailStateSB.”
