Cowbell Corner

Ace Reese Delivers Grand Slam as Mississippi State Rallies to Beat Tulane

Mississippi State used a seventh-inning grand slam from Ace Reese to rally past Tulane and secure an 11-7 win in Biloxi.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Infielder Ace Reese (#3) during the game between the Lipscomb Bison and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Infielder Ace Reese (#3) during the game between the Lipscomb Bison and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Every team wants its best player at the plate when the game hangs in the balance.

For No. 3 Mississippi State, that player is Ace Reese.

Ten days ago, he had that chance in a big moment. Against No. 1 UCLA, he came up short. Mississippi State fans remember it well. Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs in a tie game. Reese grounded out to second base.

He didn’t come up short Tuesday night against Tulane.

With the bases loaded, the Bulldogs trailing 7-2 in the seventh inning and one out already recorded, Reese sent a full-count pitch over the outfield wall in Biloxi.

Exactly what his team needed from its best player.

Sure, the stakes weren’t the same. Tulane isn’t UCLA. But the moment, a game-changing swing of the bat, felt similar. Mississippi State needed to take advantage of a great situation, and Reese did just that.

This came even after the Green Wave intentionally walked him in his previous at-bat.

It’s the kind of situation every team wants its best player to deliver in. What made it even better for the Bulldogs was what happened next.

Reed Stallman drove in the game-tying run with an RBI single, and Gehrig Frei pushed across the game-winner with a single to the opposite side of the field. In an instant, whatever visions Tulane had of a massive upset disappeared.

The scoring didn’t stop there.

Chone James and Drew Wyers each added an RBI, and Frei drove in one more to cap the scoring at 11-7.

All things considered, the Bulldogs will be happy to leave Biloxi with a win. But it’s worth noting how they ended up needing Reese to be a hero.

A full-count walk to lead off the game from Charlie Foster didn’t start things well, and Tulane cashed in two batters later to take a quick 1-0 lead with no outs. One batter later, a sacrifice fly extended the early lead to 2-0.

Foster settled down for another inning before giving way to Jack Gleason, who didn’t fare much better. The two combined to allow four runs on five hits and three walks.

Sometimes talented pitchers simply can’t find the strike zone. But the Bulldogs have enough depth to keep turning to the bullpen. Mississippi State used eight pitchers Tuesday night before finding enough arms to slow Tulane down.

That came with Dane Burns coming in after a pair of pitchers gave up two hit and one run on a combined 26 pitches. Burns closed down the seventh inning with two runners on base, ending the Green Wave’s final scoring threat.

If nothing else, Tuesday showed the Bulldogs can survive a messy night when their star steps up. That’s a useful thing to learn before SEC play arrives in three days.

Pitching Decisions

  • WP: Dane Burns (1-0), 0.1 IP, 1 K, 4 TP
  • LP: Vincent (1-1), 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 TP

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

  • Ace Reese: 1-4, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K
  • Reed Stallman: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
  • Gehrig Frei: 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 K
  • Vytas Valincius: 2-4, 1 R, 2 K

Next Up

This weekend might as well be the start of the season for Mississippi State because what happens now will be a seismic-like impacts across college baseball.

The Bulldogs will take their top five status on the road to begin SEC play against No. 5 Arkansas (12-5). The Razorbacks won’t be coming in with a lot of swagger after losing back-to-back games to Stetson this past weekend.

First pitch for Friday’s series opener at Baum-Walker Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on SECN+.

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Published
Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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