Mississippi State softball is off to a strong start in the Lubbock Regional. The 2-seed Bulldogs opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over 3-seed Washington. This is the third time in four regional appearances under Samantha Ricketts that the Bulldogs have won their opening game. The Bulldogs are now 38-17 on the season, their most wins since 2018.
Big first inning propels Mississippi State to victory
Facing one of the best pitching teams in the nation, Mississippi State was going have to capitalize on whatever opportunities Washington afforded them in order to get the win. They did that right out of the gate. The Bulldogs plated four runs off five hits in the first inning to surge out to an early lead. Consecutive doubles by Jessie Blaine and Kylee Edwards would bring in a trio of runners, and an Ella Wesolowski single would bring in the fourth.
In the following innings, it looked as though the Huskies had settled in. But in the fourth, Nadia Barbary would deliver a two-out, two-strike, two-run home run to put the Bulldogs ahead by the final margin of 6-3. State has a lineup capable of giving fits to opposing pitchers, and they found just enough on Friday.
Raelin Chaffin overcomes slow start on the mound to stifle Husky lineup
Washington hadn't fielded the most potent lineup throughout the season, but you wouldn't have known that through the first two innings of play Friday night. The Huskies hit a trio of solo home runs off of Bulldogs' ace Raelin Chaffin, and given State's own hot start, it appeared a shootout was in order.
But Chaffin didn't allow those solo shots to phase her at all. She would regroup to pitch five scoreless innings to close out the game, giving up just two hits over those five. Chaffin struck-out nine Huskies on the day in her complete-game victory, giving Mississippi State just what they needed to open regional play.
Bulldogs to take on host Texas Tech and NiJaree Canady
Now in the winners' bracket, Mississippi State will face 1-seed Texas Tech. The Red Raiders won their regional opener 6-0 over Brown Friday afternoon, cruising to a win in which they allowed just two base-runners on the day. And they did it without throwing the incredible NiJaree Canady (though she made an impact at the plate, hitting a home run).
That means the superstar will take the mound for Tech against State on Saturday. But it won't be the first time this MSU team has seen her. They got the win against Canady and Tech 3-1 in extra innings in the season-opener back in February. They look for a repeat performance in Lubbock. The Bulldogs will face the Red Raiders at 1:00 PM CT on ESPN2.