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Former Moc helps Mississippi State end undefeated run for Lady Vols

Mississippi State Athletics photo / Mississippi State softball players celebrate following Saturday afternoon's 1-0 upset of top-ranked Tennessee, which handed the Lady Vols their first loss of the season.
Mississippi State Athletics photo / Mississippi State softball players celebrate following Saturday afternoon's 1-0 upset of top-ranked Tennessee, which handed the Lady Vols their first loss of the season. Mississippi State Athletics photo / Mississippi State softball players celebrate following Saturday afternoon's 1-0 upset of top-ranked Tennessee, which handed the Lady Vols their first loss of the season.

By David Paschall 4 min read

Tennessee’s undefeated softball run this season ended Saturday afternoon at the hands of a former Moc.

Peja Goold, the 2024 and 2025 Southern Conference pitcher of the year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings as No. 13 Mississippi State upset the top-ranked Lady Volunteers 1-0 in Starkville.

“This is not surprising, I think, for us,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts told reporters afterward, “because we kind of knew what Peja was capable of. We’re just introducing her to the rest of the country.”

Said Goold: “I just knew I had to show up ready to play and go after them today.”

Tennessee fell to 26-1 overall and 4-1 in Southeastern Conference play, having become the first team in program history to post a 25-0 start with Thursday afternoon’s 12-0 blanking of Belmont in Nashville. The Lady Vols improved to 26-0 with Friday night’s 3-1 extra-innings win in Starkville.