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Cowbell Corner

Grand Slam Ignites Mississippi State Comeback, Bulldogs Take Series From LSU

Mississippi State used a massive seventh inning and late insurance runs to beat LSU 9-8, clinching the series and reigniting the atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State freshman Jacob Parker celebrates his game-tying grand slam home run against LSU at Dudy Noble Field.
Mississippi State freshman Jacob Parker celebrates his game-tying grand slam home run against LSU at Dudy Noble Field. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State fans showed up Saturday night expecting a show, and the Bulldogs finally decided to give them one.

After six straight SEC home losses, this team has spent the weekend making amends the loudest way possible: late rallies, big swings and a ballpark that refuses to sit down.

The latest installment came in a 9-8 win over LSU that clinched the series and turned Dudy Noble Field into a reminder of what Mississippi State baseball looks like when it leans into the moment.

A crowd of 15,289 packed the place, one of the largest on-campus gatherings the sport has ever seen, and they got the kind of payoff that makes a long night worth it.

Tog eth there, though, things had to start off poorly for the Bulldogs.

LSU jumped ahead 3-0 before Mississippi State even grabbed a bat, then stretched it to 7-2 in the fifth. The Tigers were hitting balls hard, Duke Stone was fighting through traffic, and the whole thing felt like it was drifting toward another frustrating home result.

Then the seventh inning arrived, and the Bulldogs decided it was time to put on a show for their fans.

Gehrig Frei singled. Ace Reese singled. Noah Sullivan singled. Blake Bevis walked in a run. Suddenly it was 7-3, the bases were still loaded, and Jacob Parker stepped in with a 2-0 count and a stadium holding its breath.

He didn’t wait long. Parker turned on a pitch and sent it over the right-field wall for a game-tying grand slam, the kind of swing that shakes a ballpark even before it lands.

One moment Mississippi State was down five. The next it was tied, the crowd was losing its mind, and the Bulldogs had flipped the entire night in about five minutes.

They weren’t done. In the eighth, Reed Stallman ripped a pinch hit double, Sullivan drove in the go-ahead run, and Frei came home on an LSU error to make it 9-7.

Those insurance runs mattered, because LSU’s Omar Serna Jr. homered in the ninth to cut it to one. Maddox Webb came in, got the final two outs and locked down his third save.

Freshman Jack Bauer earned the win with 3.2 innings of steady relief, striking out eight and giving Mississippi State the breathing room it needed to mount the comeback.

Reese finished with two hits and two runs, Sullivan added two hits of his own, and Parker’s four RBIs came on one unforgettable swing.

LSU actually out-hit Mississippi State 11-9, but the Bulldogs took advantage of seven walks, three Tiger errors and the kind of late-inning confidence that has been missing in this ballpark for a while.

After dropping six straight SEC games at home, Mississippi State has spent this weekend rewriting the mood. Friday brought a rally. Saturday brought a bigger one. And now the Bulldogs get a shot at a sweep on Sunday afternoon.

If this is their version of an apology, fans will take it.

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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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