The Mississippi State Bulldogs didn’t get off to the start they wanted to in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Starting off in Utah, the Bulldogs were dispatched by the BYU Cougars 8-0 in six innings to drop them to the elimination bracket.
State entered the bottom of the 2nd inning in a scoreless tie with BYU. Then, the Cougars opened things up right away, as Alexa Strid launched a solo homer to left field. A few batters later, WCC Freshman of the Year Rylee Jensen tacked on a second run thanks to an RBI single, bringing Brooke Vander Heide home.
The next inning turned out to be even worse than the second. The Cougars put up three runs, coming off two RBI singles by WCC Player of the Year Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge and Brielle Breland, plus a steal of home by Madison Merrell.
Down 6-0 after four innings, following an RBI triple by Lexi Tarrow, State was forced to press, but simply couldn’t get anything going. McKenna Bull dominated in the circle, allowing just one hit over her six innings of work. The WCC Pitcher of the Year struck out one, but while she issued two walks, she ultimately let nothing come to pass as Bulldog hitters couldn’t figure her out.
The loss puts Mississippi State in the elimination bracket, and they’ll now have to walk the tightrope if they want to advance to the Supers. They’ll take on the loser of the upcoming contest between the Fordham Rams and Utah Utes on Friday night.
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