STARKVILLE, Miss. - A four-run third inning helped lead Mississippi State to a 5-0 victory against Memphis on Wednesday night. It was a full-team effort, as the Bulldogs used 21 of their 25 players in the contest.

State (24-19, 3-11 SEC) collected four hits in the third along with a walk. Two of those were RBI base hits, and runs were scored on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. In the fourth, Jackie McKenna laid down a successful squeeze bunt to extend the lead.

"I think it's huge, it something we desperately needed right now," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "Just knowing that stepping away from conference play for a game, that these games are just as important, when it comes to postseason standings and our RPI. We had to take Memphis just as serious as we did Alabama this past weekend and LSU coming up. I thought they did a good job staying focused but then still kind of relaxing a little and not putting so much pressure on everything."

Six Bulldogs had hits in the contest, including Shea Moreno who was one of the 11 players to come off the bench. Nadia Barbary had an RBI and collected her fifth hit in the last five games. Aquana Brownlee produced and RBI single, and Chloe Malau'ulu drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. McKenna and Moreno now have hits in three straight games.

Josey Marron started in the circle, marking her first appearance since April 1 when she left the game with an injury. After throwing 2.0 scoreless innings, she gave way to Aspen Wesley who earned the win. Reis Beuerlein retired all six batters she faced, and Bri Bower tossed the final 2.0 frames to preserve the shutout.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on playing small ball...

"Yeah you're right, it's nice to do the little things. It was a really good, full-team effort - driving balls, two-out hits and playing small ball. We played clean defense, pitched well with shutdown innings and a shutout. I think it was huge, and something we needed to kind of relax a little bit and remember that softball is still fun and go out to compete and play our game well."

Samantha Ricketts on utilizing 21 players tonight...

"What's tough about the SEC, you don't have a down or off weekend in this conference where you can mix in your younger ones and get them experience. Anytime we have a chance just to get them at-bats and let them feel a little pressure in the moment because a lot of those younger kids are a big part of our future. I'm trying to mix them in as much as we can, as well as giving the older ones a little bit of a break. We have some older bodies that are a little banged up, so trying to rest them as much as we can once we have the lead going into this weekend."

Jackie McKenna on her squeeze bunt...

"Yeah, coach normally doesn't give me signs like that, but I am always ready. I have been a pretty good bunter on this team, so I was expecting that to come with a runner on first."

Jackie McKenna on the feeling after the win...

"It's definitely a turning point in our season, I think. We definitely needed that, and it's always nice to come out with a win regardless of how the season's been going. I think we're ready for LSU, and we're all fired up. We've been grinding during practice, so I think we're ready."

Quick Hitters

• Off The Bench - Samantha Ricketts used 21 players in tonight's game, which is a new career high for the Bulldog head coach ... she used 19 players earlier this year at ULM (Mar. 29) and in 2022 at Kentucky (May 1) ... only one hitter and three pitchers were left on the bench ... Memphis used 16 players, for a combined total of 37 players in the game.
• Nadia Barbary - Singled home a run and later scored.
• Reis Beuerlein - Retired all six batters she faced ... struck out one.
• Aquana Brownlee - Went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
• Paige Cook - Delivered an RBI single and later scored on a wild pitch.
• Kiersten Landers - Singled and stole a base ... scored on a squeeze play.
• Chloe Malau'ulu - Hit a sacrifice fly to open the scoring.
• Jackie McKenna - Singled in her only official at-bat and scored ... laid down a successful squeeze bunt for an RBI.
• Brylie St. Clair - Walked and stole a base.

Scoring Recap

Bottom 3 Madisyn Kennedy drew a walk to start the inning. Jackie Mckenna singled up the middle, advancing Kennedy to third. Chloe Malau'ulu hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Kennedy to tag up and score and Mckenna to take second. McKenna then advanced to third on a wild pitch. She scored on Nadia Barbary's single. Paige Cook singled up the middle with two outs, advancing Barbary to second. Aquana Brownlee singled to left field, scoring Barbary and moving Cook to third. Cook then scored on a wild pitch. Memphis 0, Mississippi State 4

Bottom 4 Kiersten Landers led off with a single up the middle and stole second base. Landers took third on a wild pitch. Jackie Mckenna laid down a successful squeeze bunt with Landers coming home. Memphis 0, Mississippi State 5

On Deck

Mississippi State will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face No. 15 LSU on April 21-23. Saturday is "All for Alex" day in the SEC, and all 13 teams will unite to wear teal or teal accents in recognition of former MSU player Alex Wilcox's legacy and impact on the softball community. That day will also feature the Geaux Teal Foundation's annual walk held in Baton Rouge, and Alex's former teammate and current MSU graduate student coach Mia Davidson-Smith will speak at the event.