Taking the field for the first time in nine days, Mississippi State wasted no time shaking off the sour taste that a shutout loss to LSU in the Southeastern Conference Tournament had left in its mouth.

The Bulldogs were held to just one hit in that game. In the opening round of the Lubbock Regional on Friday night against Washington, they had five hits in the first inning alone. The four runs MSU scored in the opening frame were enough as Raelin Chaffin went the distance in a 6-3 victory over the Huskies.

“I like the way we came out ready to compete, and I think the team was really excited to play and get back on the field,” Bulldogs head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Scoring four in the first just kind of settled in a little bit and gave Raelin a little bit of cushion.”

As she has done throughout her two years with MSU, Sierra Sacco started her team’s first-inning rally, lining a ball off second baseman Jade Bubke’s glove for an infield single. Freshman Morgan Stiles singled through the right side with one out, and then Jessie Blaine doubled to left-center to drive in the Bulldogs’ first run. Kylee Edwards lined a ball just inside the left-field foul line for a two-run double, giving MSU (38-17) the lead it would not relinquish.

With two outs in the first, catcher Ella Wesolowski legged out an infield hit, and Edwards never stopped running on the play, scoring all the way from second.

Chaffin struggled a bit in the early innings, allowing three solo home runs during her first trip through the Washington lineup. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis DeBoer went deep in the first, and both Ava Carroll and Sophi Mazzola homered in the second. That was all the damage the Huskies (34-18) would do against Chaffin, who held them scoreless the rest of the way.

“The way we were approaching their hitters changed a little bit just because maybe I wasn’t having my best stuff, so we just had to go with what was working,” Chaffin said. “I had a little nerves too for the game, just being in a new place, but truthfully after the first few innings, we got more runs and that makes you feel even better.”

Wesolowski helped out her battery mate in the third, throwing out Carroll trying to steal second to get the Bulldogs out of a minor jam. Washington managed just one hit over the last four innings against Chaffin, who struck out nine and walked just two.

Nadia Barbary hit a two-run homer to extend the MSU lead in the fourth, pulling herself into a tie with Chaffin and Lexi Sosa for the team lead on her 11th of the year. The blast was the Bulldogs’ 73rd of the season, tying a program record.

“Nadia’s home run was a huge answer back for us,” Ricketts said. “That’s what we’re looking to do. We’re just finding the wins in the quality at-bats because we know that’s something you have to do in the postseason, especially when you’re going up against some really quality pitching like we’re going to see.”

MSU will face host and No. 12 national seed Texas Tech in Saturday’s winners’ bracket game. The Red Raiders defeated Brown 6-0 in their opening-round game and did not have to use superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady, so she will be fresh to go up against the Bulldogs.

“We’re going to have to continue to pitch it well, have some timely hitting and play defensively behind our pitchers,” Ricketts said. “That was a good start for us, and we are excited for our opportunity to continue to play in the winners’ bracket.”

Mississippi State softball MSU

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