TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With the weekend series on the line Sunday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium, Alabama and Mississippi State traded runs back and forth in a close contest with a sixth-inning RBI single making the difference as the Bulldogs handed the Crimson Tide the 4-3 loss.

For the first time this weekend, Alabama (21-9, 1-2 SEC) took the first lead on Mississippi State (24-5, 5-1 SEC) as a first inning double from Larissa Preuitt set up Kali Heivilin for an RBI single two batters later. Some defensive miscues in the top of the third allowed the Bulldogs to plate three runs and take the lead but the Crimson Tide answered right back in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run double from Brooke Ellestad to tie it up at 3-3. With two on and two out in the top of the sixth, Mississippi State retook the lead on an RBI single from Nadia Barbary. It remained a one-run game heading to the bottom of the seventh, but Alabama went down in order as the visitors erased any rally attempt.

“We did not do enough to win. We had six walks and three errors – we basically gave them the game. We have to do more defensively and with our pitching. Ultimately, we did not do enough to win today.”

Highlights

• Alabama is now 70-13 all-time vs. Mississippi State, including a 35-5 mark in Tuscaloosa
• Alexis Pupillo and Kali Hevilin each had two hits, their ninth and fourth multi-hit games of the season, respectively
• The 2-for-3 day extended Heivilin’s current hitting streak to seven games
• Brooke Ellestad had two RBIs on her third-inning double, pushing her team-leading total to nine multi-RBI games this season
• Audrey Vandagriff extended her reached base streak to 18 games

Scoring Summary: Mississippi State 4, Alabama 3

• B1 | Kali Heivilin hit an RBI single up the middle (1-0, 2 Out)
• T3 | A fielding error on a forceout attempt allowed the tying run to score (1-1, 1 Out)
• T3 | A wild pitch and a throwing error on the same play brought home two runs (1-3, 1 Out)
• B3 | Brooke Ellestad drove in two with a double off the center field wall (3-3, 2 Out)
• T6 | Nadia Barbary hit an RBI single to left (3-4, 2 Out)

Up Next: vs. #10/10 Florida State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

• Wednesday, March 19 – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network