Mississippi State Falls Short at No. 12 Texas A&M in Softball Series Finale

Bryan-College Station, Texas — Mississippi State’s softball team fell 10-9 to No. 12 Texas A&M on Sunday, losing the series finale at Davis Diamond. The Bulldogs (34-14, 6-12 SEC) scored six runs in the first inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Xiane Romero, who finished with a career-high five RBIs.

The Aggies (34-12, 14-4 SEC) responded with a nine-run second inning, including a grand slam of their own. Texas A&M added a run on a squeeze bunt in the fourth inning, which proved to be the game-winner, according to coach Samantha Ricketts.

Mississippi State mounted a late rally in the seventh, scoring three runs with two outs. Romero delivered an RBI single, and Morgan Stiles drove in two runs with a double that just missed clearing the wall for a potential game-tying home run. Every run scored by the Bulldogs on Sunday came with two outs, Ricketts said.

Ricketts praised Romero’s performance and the team’s battling spirit. “A great response from Z. She’s a competitor,” Ricketts said. “She’s been working hard, and it was good to see her come through with a big swing. Alyssa Faircloth also kept us in the game and gave us a chance to fight back late.”

Other notable performances included Anna Carder reaching base in every game of the series, Morgan Stiles going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Kiarra Sells extending her reached-base streak to 17 games. The Bulldogs will host LSU in their final home series of the season from April 24-26, with senior events and a Samoan Heritage Day planned.

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