STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 22 South Alabama softball beat Mississippi State 3-2 on Wednesday night, turning away three Bulldogs rally attempts in the late innings to win on the road.
Freshman Kalen McGill won her seventh consecutive decision, and senior Farish Beard pitched the final two innings for the save as the Jaguars improved to 32-7 overall.
Jaguars Strike First
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning. Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith led off with a double to left field and moved to third on an infield single by Amanda Minahan. Blair Johnson then grounded out to second base, bringing Griffith home for a 1-0 lead.
South Alabama added two more in the fifth. Kristian Foster drew a walk, Stephanie Pilkington reached on a fielder’s choice and Griffith walked to put two runners on. Sophomore Chloe Rathburn followed with a two-run single that landed just short of the outfield wall, making it 3-0.
Bulldogs Chip Away
Mississippi State answered in the bottom of the fifth. Center fielder Loryn Nichols reached on a South Alabama throwing error to open the inning and later scored on a two-out single up the middle, cutting the lead to 3-1.
After the Jaguars went down in order in the sixth, the Bulldogs opened the bottom half with back-to-back singles. South Alabama head coach Becky Clark brought Beard in to relieve McGill. Beard struck out the first batter she faced before shortstop Kayla Winkfield lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, pulling Mississippi State within 3-2.
Beard Closes It Out
Beard struck out the leadoff hitter in the seventh, then issued a walk before getting a pop out to first base. Another walk put two Bulldogs on base, but Beard knocked down a bouncer up the middle and threw to first for the final out.
McGill (14-1) held Mississippi State without a hit through the first 3 1/3 innings. She allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits over five innings, striking out three and walking one. Beard allowed no runs in two innings of relief, striking out three and walking two to earn the save.
Rathburn finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, her team-leading 15th game this season with multiple RBIs. Griffith went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Pilkington went 1-for-4 with a run.
Mississippi State starter Alexis Silkwood (22-10), a two-time Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week over the previous two voting periods, took the loss. She went the distance and allowed three earned runs on four hits.
Clark: ‘A Postseason Feel’
“This was a really well-played game tonight. It kind of had a postseason feel to it,” Clark said. “It was a great win for us on the road. I felt like our kids were prepared, I felt like they competed, and I felt like they were composed the entire game. I’m proud of our effort tonight.”
By the Numbers
- South Alabama improved to 32-7 overall and 10-2 on the road.
- The Jaguars are 2-2 against Southeastern Conference opponents this season.
- South Alabama has won the last four meetings with Mississippi State and leads the all-time series 4-2.
Up Next
South Alabama returns to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend at home against Texas State in its final regular-season conference home series. The series opens with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday’s finale is also set for 1 p.m. at Jaguar Field in Mobile.
