STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 1 Tennessee scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to beat No. 12 Mississippi State 3-1 in a marathon softball game Friday night to open SEC play.
The game was a defensive battle, with both teams combining for just five hits through the first seven innings. Alyssa Faircloth pitched all 10 innings for Mississippi State (26-3, 0-1 SEC), striking out nine and turning two double plays to keep the Bulldogs in contention. Head coach Samantha Ricketts praised Faircloth’s effort.
“She did what she’s done all year long for us,” Ricketts said. “She’s a competitor. She wants it. I hate that we couldn’t find a way to score some runs early. If she continues to throw like that, she will win many games in this conference.”
The first run of the game came in the ninth inning when Tennessee’s Makenzie Butt hit a three-run homer. Taylor Troutman responded in the bottom half with a solo shot, but Mississippi State failed to tie the game after Nadia Barbary’s flyout was caught in left-center field with the tying run at the plate.
In the 10th, Tennessee’s Sophia Knight and Makenzie Butt each reached base, and Butt scored on a wild pitch. A subsequent two-out double by Bella Faw drove in the final run for the Lady Vols. Troutman’s pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the inning was not enough for Mississippi State to rally.
Mississippi State will look to even the series Saturday at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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