STARKVILLE, Miss. — Morgan Bernardini’s grand slam in the third inning was the key hit as No. 14 Mississippi State defeated Memphis 8-4 Wednesday afternoon, according to the school.
The Bulldogs (11-0) scored 11 runs in the third inning, highlighted by Kiarra Sells’ three-run homer that erased an early deficit. Bernardini’s blast over the left field wall put Mississippi State ahead 7-1.
Head coach Samantha Ricketts praised her team’s response after Memphis scored first. “It was a really good response to make some adjustments in the third,” she said. “We continued to pass the bat and find ways on base, which led to a knockout punch.”
Memphis added three runs in the fourth on back-to-back home runs, but starter Leila Ammon re-entered and shut down the Tigers for the next two innings. Peja Goold pitched the final two innings, not allowing a baserunner.
Sells knocked her team-leading fourth homer and extended her reached-base streak to eight games. Goold recorded her 500th career strikeout, becoming one of 11 active players nationally to reach that mark. Ammon struck out six in five innings, bringing her total to 22 over her last three appearances.
Mississippi State will host the Bulldog Invitational presented by Mizuno on Feb. 20-22, facing Belmont, Samford and Delaware State. All games will be streamed on SEC Network+.
