Mickey the Mouth
The Syndicate News Wire
- May 21, 2026
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Mississippi State softball is very comfortable being the underdog entering a decisive Game 3 in the NCAA Tournament super regionals.
The Bulldogs (42-19) are tied 1-1 with No. 3 seed Oklahoma (52-9) in their best-of-three series after the Sooners bounced back from a Game 1 loss, winning the second game 7-1 at Love’s Field in Norman on May 23.
“There’s no pressure on us. Nobody expects us to do that,” MSU coach Samantha Ricketts said. “I think all the pressure is in their dugout. … We know that nobody’s going to pick us. We don’t want them to pick us.”
The final game on May 24 will decide which team goes to this year’s Women’s College World Series. For Oklahoma it would be their 10th trip in a row. For Mississippi State, it would be the program’s first appearance.
A game time has not been announced.
Despite what the Bulldogs have riding on the game, Ricketts is making sure that her team isn’t rattled by the prospect of doing what no other MSU squad has done before.
“You knew it was going to be a dog fight coming into Love’s Field and taking on a program like this, and I think we have to get back to playing Mississippi State softball,” said Ricketts, who was an All-American at Oklahoma. “… Right now, the focus has to be on what’s in front of us and what we can control, and that’s how we come out ready to play tomorrow.”
Specifically noted as points of improvement were the Bulldogs’ offense, which went quiet in Game 2 after scoring 11 runs in Game 1, and their play in the field, which resulted in four errors over the course of the weekend.
Still, Mississippi State is heading into the final game of the super regional with an optimistic outlook.
“It’s going to be a battle, but I think that we proved yesterday to everyone, but also to ourselves that we can hang with them,” outfielder Morgan Bernardini said. “And I have full confidence in our team coming home with the win tomorrow.”
Ricketts said that she and pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney hadn’t yet decided who will start the final game.
Alyssa Faircloth (16-7, 2.47 ERA), who has 24 starts, started Game 1, but was chased out in 2⅓ innings after giving up five runs. She pitched 4⅓ relief innings in the Bulldogs’ Game 2 loss.
Peja Goold (15-11, 2.36 ERA), who leads the team with 26 starts, got the start in Game 2, but only lasted 2⅔ innings. She entered for a third of an inning in Game 1 but was pulled after throwing just 17 pitches and giving up a three-run home run.
The only other pitcher to start this season is Leila Ammon (8-0, 1.85 ERA), who’s made 11 starts. She threw three innings in Game 1 and helped quiet Oklahoma’s bats in the middle innings of the game.
The Bulldogs also have Delainey Everett (2-1, 1.05 ERA). She's only appeared in 10 games this season but pitched well to close out Game 1. Neither Ammon nor Everett appeared in Game 2.
“We just know ... it’s going to be all hands on deck for everyone, the pitchers, hitters, everyone in the dugout, just the energy and leaving it all out there on the field,” Ricketts said.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State has edge on OU softball in this area for Game 3
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The Bulldogs (42-19) are tied 1-1 with No. 3 seed Oklahoma (52-9) in their best-of-three series after the Sooners bounced back from a Game 1 loss, winning the second game 7-1 at Love’s Field in Norman on May 23.
“There’s no pressure on us. Nobody expects us to do that,” MSU coach Samantha Ricketts said. “I think all the pressure is in their dugout. … We know that nobody’s going to pick us. We don’t want them to pick us.”
The final game on May 24 will decide which team goes to this year’s Women’s College World Series. For Oklahoma it would be their 10th trip in a row. For Mississippi State, it would be the program’s first appearance.
A game time has not been announced.
Despite what the Bulldogs have riding on the game, Ricketts is making sure that her team isn’t rattled by the prospect of doing what no other MSU squad has done before.
“You knew it was going to be a dog fight coming into Love’s Field and taking on a program like this, and I think we have to get back to playing Mississippi State softball,” said Ricketts, who was an All-American at Oklahoma. “… Right now, the focus has to be on what’s in front of us and what we can control, and that’s how we come out ready to play tomorrow.”
Specifically noted as points of improvement were the Bulldogs’ offense, which went quiet in Game 2 after scoring 11 runs in Game 1, and their play in the field, which resulted in four errors over the course of the weekend.
Still, Mississippi State is heading into the final game of the super regional with an optimistic outlook.
“It’s going to be a battle, but I think that we proved yesterday to everyone, but also to ourselves that we can hang with them,” outfielder Morgan Bernardini said. “And I have full confidence in our team coming home with the win tomorrow.”
Who will be Mississippi State’s starting pitcher vs OU in Game 3?
Ricketts said that she and pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney hadn’t yet decided who will start the final game.
Alyssa Faircloth (16-7, 2.47 ERA), who has 24 starts, started Game 1, but was chased out in 2⅓ innings after giving up five runs. She pitched 4⅓ relief innings in the Bulldogs’ Game 2 loss.
Peja Goold (15-11, 2.36 ERA), who leads the team with 26 starts, got the start in Game 2, but only lasted 2⅔ innings. She entered for a third of an inning in Game 1 but was pulled after throwing just 17 pitches and giving up a three-run home run.
The only other pitcher to start this season is Leila Ammon (8-0, 1.85 ERA), who’s made 11 starts. She threw three innings in Game 1 and helped quiet Oklahoma’s bats in the middle innings of the game.
The Bulldogs also have Delainey Everett (2-1, 1.05 ERA). She's only appeared in 10 games this season but pitched well to close out Game 1. Neither Ammon nor Everett appeared in Game 2.
“We just know ... it’s going to be all hands on deck for everyone, the pitchers, hitters, everyone in the dugout, just the energy and leaving it all out there on the field,” Ricketts said.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State has edge on OU softball in this area for Game 3
Continue reading...