No. 8 Arkansas beats Mississippi State to clinch series

STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 8 Arkansas defeated Mississippi State 10-3 on Sunday to complete a series sweep. The Razorbacks scored three runs in the first inning and maintained their lead throughout the game, improving their record to 35-6 overall and 10-5 in Southeastern Conference play, according to Arkansas athletics.

Mississippi State, which fell to 34-11 overall and 6-9 in SEC games, fought to tie the game in the fourth inning after Arkansas scored three runs in the first. Nadia Barbary homered in the first inning for the Bulldogs, and Morgan Bernardini and Taylor Troutman drove in runs in the fourth.

Arkansas continued to add to its lead with two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings, and three in the seventh. Bernardini finished with two hits, and Kiarra Sells and Anna Carder drew walks for Mississippi State. Delainey Everett pitched 0.2 scoreless innings to close the game, striking out one batter, according to the box score.

Head coach Samantha Ricketts said the team struggled to make necessary adjustments. “There were not enough adjustments,” she said. “I thought today was better, in terms of making hard outs and finding a way to have quality at-bats even when we are getting out. It was just a little bit too late on the weekend. You have to be ready for every game. You can’t decide which games to go for it and which not to.”

The Bulldogs will play next at No. 14 Texas A&M on Friday. The game will air on SEC Network at 7:30 p.m. CT, with the following two games available on SEC Network+.

Source: Original Article