STARKVILLE – Mississippi State simply would not go away on Sunday afternoon, much like the whole series.
The No. 15 Bulldogs erased three multi-run deficits and beat the LSU Tigers 13-8 at Dudy Noble Field. Each win in the series came after coming back from an early deficit.
“We're not going to make all the plays. We're not going to hit in the clutch all the time or have great pitching outings all the time,” State coach Brian O’Connor said. “But we're going to hang in there and represent this university and this uniform the right way.”
MSU (34-10, 13-8 SEC) went into the bottom of the sixth trailing 8-5. The first two batters reached, then scored on a throwing error by the pitcher to make it a one-run game. Ace Reese lined a game-tying double into right, and a fielder’s choice by Blake Bevis gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the day.
Reese led the Bulldogs with four driven in to go with a home run and a double.
“I think it's just starting to click. There's not really much to it,” Reese said. “I'm just going up there and doing what I do.”
Noah Sullivan doubled home another run in the seventh before scoring on a single by Bevis. Aidan Teel left the yard in the eighth, then Frei doubled in another run to make it 13-8.
Cade Arramibide gave LSU a quick 3-0 lead in the first on a home run to right, but Reese countered with a three-run shot in the second. Steve Milam put the Tigers back up with a two-run jack in the third, then a double by Sullivan and an RBI groundout by Jacob Parker tied it again in the fifth. Mason Braun doubled in a go-ahead run in the sixth and scored on a homer by Omar Serna Jr.
O’Connor did not like the plate approach in the first two innings but felt that it improved once his hitters settled down.
“I just thought that we were trying to do a little bit too much and not letting the game come to us a little bit and handle the strike zone better,” he said. “And when we started doing that better, I think we got more barrels, earned some walks, and created some opportunities.”
Mississippi State will head down to Pearl for the annual Governor’s Cup with Ole Miss on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.