While it’s hard to beat the best college softball teams in the country, it’s even harder to beat one of the best softball teams in the world. Samantha Ricketts and the Mississippi State Bulldogs were tasked with taking on Team USA and, well, MSU was shut out.
The U.S. National Team, unsurprisingly, was notably better than the Bulldogs on Friday. But, while Mississippi State struggled at the plate and never found a way to score, the Bulldogs’ pitching proved reliable enough to keep the game within striking distance.
Alyssa Loza got the start and threw 3.0 innings for State. Everything was fine for Loza up until the third inning, when Team USA was able to string together a few hits, including a pair of RBI doubles to take a 2-0 lead over MSU.
Loza was replaced by Kenley Hawk, who threw 2.0 innings before she ran into trouble. Team USA tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, putting the game way out of reach for the Bulldogs who were struggling to get on base.
MSU fell 4-0 in the exhibition game.
Losing 4-0 is less than enjoyable, regardless of who it is, but Mississippi State showed some potential against one of the best softball teams on the planet. As Team USA showed against Illinois, this game could have been a lot uglier than it was.
Ricketts and the Bulldogs return to action against Liberty at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Following MSU’s game against Liberty, State will face off against the Louisville Cardinals Saturday afternoon.
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