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OKLAHOMA CITY - After scoring 18 runs in the super regionals, Mississippi State softball’s offense had appeared to turn a corner.
The Bulldogs’ pitching staff and defense had carried them to wins for most of the season, but MSU seemed to be clicking on all cylinders before its first ever Women’s College World Series appearance.
But Mississippi State (43-21) was shut out twice at the WCWS, losing 4-0 to No. 2 seed Texas (48-12) on May 29 at Devon Park.
“Today, I thought we had a lot of really hard-hit balls just right at people,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Couldn’t seem to find a hole. … It didn’t go our way.”
The Bulldogs totaled four hits against Texas, finishing with six across its two WCWS games. Three of the hits against the Longhorns came off the bat of Xiane Romero.
The only other Bulldog to record a hit was Kinley Keller. She also had one of the Bulldogs’ two hits in their 8-0 loss to Texas Tech in their first game, along with Morgan Stiles.
The Bulldogs hit .146 over both games.
The Bulldogs pointed to their lack of aggression as the reason for their poor performance against Texas Tech, but Ricketts indicated it was the opposite that challenged them against Texas.
“I thought today we were trying to be too aggressive, knowing that (Texas pitcher) Teagan (Kavan) wasn’t going to walk very many,” Ricketts said. “Just kind of got ourselves out a little bit too much early on, and I thought she did a great job of keeping us off balance.”
Kavan pitched the entire game, throwing a total of 78 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. Though she finished with just two strikeouts, Texas’ defense made several difficult defensive plays to keep MSU off the basepaths.
“I think I was efficient, missed more barrels. That was helpful,” Kavan said of her performance. “My defense stole a lot of what could have been a lot of hits. I credit them on that. They were huge for me and took a lot of momentum (MSU) could have gotten.”
With it being her team’s third time getting shut out this postseason, Ricketts noted that their lack of offense in Oklahoma City is something they can learn from for next season.
“I think for us, it’s just more motivation to continue to get better and to be able to produce for our pitchers every game, and not just one weekend or whatever it might be,” she said.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Mississippi State softball didn't score in either WCWS game
Continue reading...
The Bulldogs’ pitching staff and defense had carried them to wins for most of the season, but MSU seemed to be clicking on all cylinders before its first ever Women’s College World Series appearance.
But Mississippi State (43-21) was shut out twice at the WCWS, losing 4-0 to No. 2 seed Texas (48-12) on May 29 at Devon Park.
“Today, I thought we had a lot of really hard-hit balls just right at people,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Couldn’t seem to find a hole. … It didn’t go our way.”
The Bulldogs totaled four hits against Texas, finishing with six across its two WCWS games. Three of the hits against the Longhorns came off the bat of Xiane Romero.
The only other Bulldog to record a hit was Kinley Keller. She also had one of the Bulldogs’ two hits in their 8-0 loss to Texas Tech in their first game, along with Morgan Stiles.
The Bulldogs hit .146 over both games.
The Bulldogs pointed to their lack of aggression as the reason for their poor performance against Texas Tech, but Ricketts indicated it was the opposite that challenged them against Texas.
“I thought today we were trying to be too aggressive, knowing that (Texas pitcher) Teagan (Kavan) wasn’t going to walk very many,” Ricketts said. “Just kind of got ourselves out a little bit too much early on, and I thought she did a great job of keeping us off balance.”
Kavan pitched the entire game, throwing a total of 78 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. Though she finished with just two strikeouts, Texas’ defense made several difficult defensive plays to keep MSU off the basepaths.
“I think I was efficient, missed more barrels. That was helpful,” Kavan said of her performance. “My defense stole a lot of what could have been a lot of hits. I credit them on that. They were huge for me and took a lot of momentum (MSU) could have gotten.”
With it being her team’s third time getting shut out this postseason, Ricketts noted that their lack of offense in Oklahoma City is something they can learn from for next season.
“I think for us, it’s just more motivation to continue to get better and to be able to produce for our pitchers every game, and not just one weekend or whatever it might be,” she said.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Mississippi State softball didn't score in either WCWS game
Continue reading...
