Mississippi State Baseball: Diamond Dawgs Rally Back in 10-7 Victory Over Ole Miss

Mississippi State was down but never out in its 10-7 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford.

Relief pitcher Pico Kohn picked up the victory on the mound for the Bulldogs and struck out three in 2.0 innings of work with one hit and two walks. Preston Johnson was the starting pitcher and gave up four runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Brad Cumbest led all MSU batters by going 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and an RBI on two doubles. Catcher Logan Tanner had a 3-for-4 night batting with two runs scored and one walk. Luke Hancock, Hunter Hines and Kellum Clark each had home runs.

The Diamond Dawgs struck first in the game with a solo shot by Luke Hancock in the top of the first inning, but the 1-0 lead didn't last long. Johnson gave up three home runs on his first four pitches, and Ole Miss took a 3-1 lead quickly.

Ole Miss second baseman Peyton Chatagnier started the bottom of the second inning with another home run against Johnson, pushing the score to 4-1. Johnson allowed two runners to reach base on walks with just one out, but he escaped the inning with two strikeouts.

Both teams threatened with runners on base, but neither team struck again until the top of the sixth inning. This time, MSU was the team putting up the crooked numbers. Cumbest started the inning off with a double down the left-field line, then scored on a ground-rule double by Jess Davis. RJ Yeager singled to left-center field to bring home Davis and cut the Rebels' lead to 4-3.

In the seventh inning, Mississippi State's offense exploded. Tanner singled, then Hines drove him home with a two-run home run to make the score 5-4. The Diamond Dawgs had their first lead of the game since the first inning but didn't stop there. After a base hit by Cumbest, Clark hit a two-run bomb of his own. Mississippi State didn't bring another run across, but a 7-4 lead was enough to build some much-needed confidence. Kohn did his part on the mound in the bottom of the inning by striking out the side.

MSU put up three more runs in the eighth inning to build a comfortable 10-4 lead. Tanner was hit by a pitch and Hines singled to advance his teammate to third. Tanner came home on a double by Cumbest, then Davis drove in Hines on a groundout to the pitcher. Lane Forsythe had a huge double to score Cumbest.

Pitcher KC Hunt came on in relief in the eighth inning in hopes of closing things out for good. He gave up three runs on two hits and allowed the Rebels to cut the lead in half, but the visiting team escaped the inning still holding on to a 10-7 lead.

After a mostly-quiet top of the ninth inning from the Bulldogs, Ole Miss only had one more chance. Hunt walked the first batter he faced before recording a flyout and a strikeout. Hayden Leatherwood singled through the left side with two outs to put two runners on base and the tying run at the plate. That tying run was none other than leadoff hitter Justin Bench, who had recorded a home run early in the game. After a lengthy at-bat, Bench grounded out to third base, and the Diamond Dawgs were able to secure the 10-7 comeback victory.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss will face off for the series victory tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. CT.