No. 14 Mississippi State Falls to No. 12 Texas A&M 3-1 in Series Opener

Bryan-College Station, Texas — No. 14 Mississippi State opened its series against No. 12 Texas A&M with a 3-1 loss Friday night. The Aggies (32-12, 12-4 SEC) scored twice in the first inning on a pair of solo home runs and added another in the second on a solo shot.

The Bulldogs (34-12, 6-10 SEC) responded in the fifth inning with an RBI single from Des Rivera that scored pinch runner Kalani Sells. Despite threats in the sixth and seventh innings, Mississippi State stranded two runners each time and was unable to complete the comeback.

Head coach Samantha Ricketts praised her team’s effort, noting they are working through offensive struggles. “I liked our fight. We’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” she said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get. I saw a lot of that, and I’m encouraged for what that means moving forward.”

Ricketts also highlighted pitcher Delainey Everett, who pitched three hitless innings in relief, allowing just one walk. “That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” the coach said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we rely on her.”

In addition to Everett’s performance, Nadia Barbary doubled for the ninth time this season, moving into seventh all-time at Mississippi State. Des Rivera drove in the Bulldogs’ lone run, while Kiarra Sells extended her hitting streak to 15 games with a walk in the game.

The series continues Saturday with an 11 a.m. game, which was moved up due to forecasted bad weather. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+. Mississippi State’s pitching matchup features Sidne Peters (12-4) against Peja Goold (14-8) of Texas A&M.

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