STARKVILLE – Feeding off of the energy of an electric home crowd of 1,292, the Mississippi State softball team (21-14, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) downed in-state rival Ole Miss (27-10, 3-5 SEC) in walk-off fashion in extra innings Sunday night at Nusz Park.
With the game scoreless through the first seven and a half innings, MSU broke through in the bottom of the eighth for a 1-0 win to take game two and even the series.
 Junior Amanda Ivy’s (Batesville) lone hit of the night could not have come at a better time as her single through the left side scored senior Kayla Winkfield from second to win the game.
 “We needed that victory,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “The kids really brought energy and passion. Every single person in the dugout was dialed in and locked in. Everyone including the crowd won that game tonight.”
 Junior pitcher Alexis Silkwood got the start for State and shined throughout. The Rebels loaded the bases in the top of the first, but no runners reached home. That remained the theme of the night for both sides as pitching and defense kept runners from crossing the plate.
 The Rebels made a pitching change when the Bulldogs came to bat in the eighth, bringing in Kayla Landwehrmier for starter Madi Osias.
 The Bulldogs were able to get more than just baserunners in the eighth. Winkfield led off the inning with a single. Winkfield advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Caroline Seitz that resulted in the first out of the inning.
 After junior Katie Anne Bailey was intentionally walked, Ivy stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. Ivy came through for the Bulldogs just as the former walk-on has done many times in her career. A single through the left side of the infield was all Ivy needed to supply for the speedster Winkfield to score from second and lift MSU to a walk-off win over its in-state rival.
 Silkwood (1-4) collected her first win of the season for the Bulldogs, allowing six hits in a complete-game shutout with five strikeouts and no walks allowed. The East Alton, Ill. native threw just 92 pitches in her eight-inning outing.
Landwehrmier (2-2) suffered the loss for OM, allowing two hits and one earned run in the final inning of the game.
The two rivals return to the diamond Monday for the series-deciding game which aired nationally on the SEC Network but the score was not available at press time.