No. 12 Mississippi State dominates at Jaguar Classic with pair of wins

Mobile, Alabama — The Mississippi State softball team, ranked No. 12, won both of its games Saturday at the Jaguar Classic, including a 4-0 victory over New Mexico and a 9-1 win against Samford, according to the school’s athletic department.

Peja Goold nearly pitched a perfect game against Samford, striking out the first seven batters she faced. She allowed just three balls in play through six innings and finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts. Goold was one out away from a no-hitter before giving up a solo home run in the sixth inning, and she ended the game with a groundout.

Head coach Samantha Ricketts praised Goold’s performance, noting her attacking style and composure on the mound. “Another great game from Peja,” Ricketts said. “She was attacking. She was mixing, just really keeping them off balance and just getting us back up to bat quickly. That’s all you can ask for, and I just love the poise she pitches with.”

Offensively, Nadia Barbary contributed a grand slam in the fourth inning against Samford, her third career grand slam tying the Mississippi State program record. She also reached safely in six straight games. Morgan Bernardini added two RBIs with a double in the first inning against New Mexico. Kiarra Sells extended her hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run homer against New Mexico.

In the game against New Mexico, Leila Ammon pitched four scoreless innings, striking out five. Alyssa Faircloth secured her second save of the year with three hitless innings and six strikeouts.

Ricketts addressed a controversial play in the fourth inning against Samford, explaining that the batter-runner failed to touch the safety bag, which was a heads-up play by Gabby Schaeffer. Barbary also reflected on her grand slam, noting she calmed herself after a previous call and focused on helping the team win.

Mississippi State will face South Alabama on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT in the final game of the Jaguar Classic, which will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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