Mississippi State Tops No. 5 Florida With Season-High 14 Hits

Gainesville, Fla. — Mississippi State’s softball team defeated No. 5 Florida 9-4 Saturday, matching its season high for hits and earning its first conference win of the year against the Gators.

The Bulldogs (33-8, 5-6 SEC) scored nine runs on 14 hits, their most in SEC play this season. Five players recorded multiple hits, and eight of nine starters reached base at least once.

Paige Ernstes led the offensive explosion with a career-high five RBIs, including two doubles. Morgan Bernardini and Nadia Barbary each homered for Mississippi State. Barbary’s home run was her ninth of the season, and she added a single for her 12th multi-hit game.

Head coach Samantha Ricketts praised her team’s response after falling behind early. “I love the response. We saw a lot of the seniors stepping up,” she said. “Our pitchers are doing a phenomenal job, but we know with that offense over there, they’re going to give up some runs. We need to be ready to fight for our pitchers.”

The Bulldogs led 2-0 entering the fifth inning. They scored four runs in the fifth, but Florida (35-5, 10-4 SEC) responded with four of their own. Ernstes’s three-run double in the sixth extended Mississippi State’s lead, and the Bulldogs added three more runs in the top of the sixth.

Alyssa Faircloth earned her 10th win after striking out nine in seven innings. Peja Goold finished the game, allowing just one run over two innings.

Mississippi State improved to 14-0 when playing a team for the second time this season and remains undefeated in midweek SEC series, now 4-0.

The series concludes Sunday with a game on SEC Network+ at noon CT. The Bulldogs aim to clinch the series victory in the final matchup.

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