The Bulldogs played two games today at the MSU Softball complex as part of the Bulldog Kickoff event in Starkville. The Bulldogs started off the day by facing off against the Saint Louis Billikens. The Billikens came into the game with a spotless 3-0 record, and looked to ruin the Bulldogs’ start. Saint Louis struck early in this one as Allie Macfarlane singled to left field and Alex Nickel came around to score from second. The Bulldogs struck back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a Julia Echols homer over the left-center field wall. The ball was one of those that once it hit the bat, you flip the bat and start jogging because you know it’s going over. I’m still not sure it has hit the ground yet. The second inning was fairly quiet, but the third had some excitement.

The third inning saw Saint Louis add another run to their total, but in a fashion that you probably wouldn’t expect. The first base umpire called an illegal pitch on Silkwood, and that advanced the runner home. I’m not sure what exactly happened in order to get that illegal pitch, but the fans did not like it at all. The Bulldogs were able to stay within 1 run for the rest of the game. That’s until the bottom of the 6th when Katie Anne Bailey singled through the right side to score a run and tie it up. The 7th inning saw Winkfield hit a ball through the right side and score the winning run for the Bulldogs.

Next up on the slate was the Austin Peay softball squad. The Governors came into the game 1-1, and looked to have the reverse fortune of the Billikens. That result just wasn’t in the cards, as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning. The Bulldogs added another run in the bottom of the 2nd, and looked to be in complete control of this game. The third and fourth innings failed to show any scoring, and the Bulldogs only needed 2 runs to run-rule the Governors. The 5th inning came to a close as Katie Gentle came up to the bat with the bases loaded. She hit a hard hit ball to Center Field, and watched as it sailed over the fielder’s head and to the wall.

The Bulldogs are now 4-0 and will face Saint Louis again tomorrow at 12:30 PM CST. The game will NOT be broadcast, but admission is free at the MSU Softball complex.