With one of the Southeastern Conference’s premier pitchers coming to Davis Diamond, the 12th Man expected an old-school pitcher’s duel between No. 14 Mississippi State and No. 11 Texas A&M softball.

Usual Friday starters Mississippi State senior right-handed pitcher Peja Goold and sophomore RHP Sydney Lessentine, though, were not the stars. Instead, head coach Trisha Ford gave junior RHP Sidne Peters the nod, and the Aggies forced the Bulldogs to turn to the bullpen after only three innings of Goold in a 3-1 win to open the series.

The pitching was impressive, as Peters struck out four on a 66.67% strike percentage, and Mississippi State junior left-handed pitcher Delainey Everett retired 10 of the 11 batters she faced.

“I thought Peters pitched a gem,” Ford said. “She pitched her way out of situations, situations that she put herself in, but she kept pounding the zone and spreading. I just think she did a great job. … I really liked how we attacked Peja early in the game.”

Ford noted her attempts to challenge Peters with the start and going all seven innings after recently being a weapon out of the pen. Peters paid Ford back with what the pitcher thought was the best game of her collegiate career.

“I can’t remember the last time I’d thrown a complete seven-inning game,” said Peters. “It felt really good, I will say that. Tonight felt really, really good. And it felt even better to do it for my teammates and help in any way I could.”

Goold’s season had her ranked No. 6 in Softball America’s April rankings, with her 1.58 ERA good for fifth in the conference entering the weekend. What Ford described as a “three-speed pitcher,” the Californian was off her A-game on Friday, only striking out 1 of the 16 batters she faced.

“She throws a 65 down and in and a curveball that’s like a 2,200 RPM,” Ford said. “ … It would just be coming at you and then just almost looks like it’s right there. I think that’s what makes it hard, so you can’t hunt both of them. That’s the key.”

Goold’s night immediately hit a roadblock when superstar junior first baseman Mya Perez entered the batter’s box. Round 1 between two of the SEC’s premier forces went the way of Perez, who latched onto a curveball and sent it out of the park for a solo homer, her 15th of the season.

“I wanted to know where her spots were, and I knew I wanted to hit off that backdoor curve that she throws,” Perez said. “That was the spot that I was looking at. It just happened to be on the first pitch, and I was just going for it.”

A&M’s lead was doubled when Goold’s low pitch got away from senior catcher Des Rivera with the bases loaded, allowing senior designated player Micaela Wark to jog home for the score on a wild pitch.

The relentless Aggie batting order found more success in the second, with sophomore left fielder Paislie Allen getting a chance to celebrate with the Howdy Hat after barely squeezing a solo home run over the left field wall to make it 3-0. The home run came in the midst of a valley for Allen’s hitting, one in which freshman pinch hitter Maddie Sauni has often taken her spot.

“Paislie is one of the most easy people you have to be around,” Ford said. “She doesn’t really get too high, she doesn’t really get too low. … She just wants to help the team. … She’s very happy for Maddie. She’s probably the one giving her the biggest support.”

The inning ended on a Perez flyout to the warning track, A&M’s second of the day after sophomore shortstop KK Dement was also mere yards away from a shot of her own to end the first frame.

In what became choppy water in an otherwise smooth sail for Peters, Mississippi State got on the board with an RBI single from Rivera after a walk and a hit by pitch put runners on. Ford elected to keep Peters in, and the former Washington transfer rewarded her by allowing only one hit for the rest of the game.

“That was a little coach intuition,” Ford said on her decision to leave Peters in the game. “I wanted to see her work through it a little bit. … I gotta see what that next step looks like. She has the stuff. That piece I know for a fact.”

Peters shut the door at the right time for the Aggies, as the lineup went ice cold. Everett didn’t give up a single hit and only surrendered one walk in the final three frames.

“I’m sure when she comes back either tomorrow or Sunday we’re going to be just fine,” Perez said. “No worry in my head about her.”

That mentality will be put to the test in Game 2 on Saturday, April 17, when the Bulldogs return to Davis Diamond for an 11 a.m. first pitch.