Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's softball team faced a challenging match against Mississippi State, ranked No. 19, during the 2025 Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament. The game took place in Starkville, Mississippi, and resulted in a 10-3 loss for the Salukis after initially taking a 3-0 lead.

The Salukis began strong with three consecutive walks, followed by another walk to Anna Carder that brought in the first run. A fielding error by Mississippi State's second baseman allowed another run, and Haley Wilkerson's walk increased Southern Illinois' lead to 3-0. However, following a pitching change by Mississippi State, the Salukis were unable to score further.

Mississippi State responded quickly in their half of the first inning with a home run narrowing the gap to 3-1. They loaded the bases and scored another run on a fielder's choice play, ending the inning at 3-2.

In the second inning, Mississippi State tied the game with a single and took a 4-3 lead after another single following an SIU pitching change. Although Carder managed to get on base with a single in the third inning, SIU couldn't convert it into runs.

The fourth inning saw Mississippi State increase their lead significantly. With bases loaded and no outs, they scored four runs through singles and sacrifice plays to bring their tally to eight runs against SIU's three.

A defensive error by Emma Austin in center field during the fifth inning allowed an unearned run for Mississippi State. Another groundout added one more run for the Bulldogs, finalizing their score at 10-3 as they shut down SIU's offense for the remainder of the game.

Southern Illinois will continue tournament play with a doubleheader against North Texas and Georgia Tech scheduled for Friday morning.