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Delainey Everett dedicates emotional, historic win for MSU to parents for anniversary
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- Delainey Everett dedicates emotional, historic win for MSU to parents for anniversary
With a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line, Delainey Everett delivered one of the biggest victories in Mississippi State softball history — and she did it by taking down the creme de la creme of the sport.
The junior left‑hander fired a three‑hit shutout to eliminate No. 4 Oklahoma, a win that not only extended the Bulldogs' stay in the Sooner State for a WCWS appearance at Devon Park later in the week, but also ended Oklahoma's decade‑long streak of reaching the event themselves.
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For Everett, the moment carried a deeper weight. Speaking on ESPN after Mississippi State's 6–0 win, she shared that the victory came on her parents' wedding anniversary — a day made more emotional with her late father, Brandan, watching over her.
"Today is my mom and dad's anniversary, and this was for them," Everett said with emotion on ESPN. "This is for them."
As noted by the Clarion Ledger — part of the USA TODAY Network — Everett's father died at the beginning of last season.
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Everett entered the day with not that many innings on the season, as she only played in 10 games and pitched a total of 13 1/3 innings before Sunday's Game 3 of the Norman Super Regional. The Bulldogs' ace from last season underwent shoulder surgery in December and didn't get back to throwing full strength until the middle of SEC play.
She allowed just six runners to reach base on Sunday, while striking out three Oklahoma hitters.
As noted by USA TODAY, Everett's efforts in the upset win weren't the only record broken by the Bulldogs. She also helped Mississippi State shut out Oklahoma for the first time since the 2019 WCWS, when Alabama beat the Sooners 1-0, breaking a 399-game streak of games with a run.
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"An underdog is still a [expletive] dog. That's what I'm talking about," said Everett when asked about what type of fight her team showed in the Norman Super Regional. "We knew it when we were on the bus. Oh my gosh. "Everything that we've been working for came through today. And we ain't done yet."
Mississippi State will open up the Women's College World Series on Thursday, May 28 against NiJaree Canady and No. 11 Texas Tech, which won an emotion-filled Game 3 of the Gainesville Super Regional on Sunday against No. 6 Florida.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Delainey Everett delivers emotional win to send Mississippi State to WCWS
