Mississippi State Baseball Pulls Off Late Miracle in 6-5 Win Over UAB

After falling behind heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Mississippi State pulled off another comeback and walked off UAB by a score of 6-5 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Shortstop Lane Forsythe had a career night and went 4-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored. Hunter Hines broke out of his slump by going 2-for-5 at the plate with a two-run home run. Luke Hancock scored two runs, while Logan Tanner drove in an RBI. Kamren James hit the sacrifice fly to win the game. KC Hunt served as the closing pitcher and threw five strikeouts while allowing only one hit in 2.0 innings of work.

UAB was hot early and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off of a few hits against Kohn. The Bulldogs managed to get a run back in the bottom of the inning as Hancock doubled with two outs and Tanner drove him in on an outfield single.

Mississippi State threatened again in the second inning with Cumbest on third and only one out, but the team failed to bring him home.

Parker Stinnett entered the game for the Diamond Dawgs in the third inning and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, giving the Blazers a 3-1 advantage. He settled in from there and managed to dominate until the end of the top of the fourth inning.

MSU pulled together a big string of hits in the bottom of the fourth inning after a few quiet innings. Slate Alford and Forsythe both reached base on singles, and Yeager drove in one run with a single to left-center to make the score 3-2.

Pitcher Drew Talley entered the game in the fifth inning and had a dominant outing, striking out two batters and forcing another to ground out. He kept his roll going into the sixth inning and helped keep the game close for a struggling Bulldogs offense.

MSU finally managed to catch up to the Blazers in the bottom of the sixth inning. Forsythe had his third hit of the day with two outs and Yeager was put on base after being hit by a pitch. James hit a crucial double down the left-field line to bring Forsythe home and tie the score at three apiece.

Both teams dominated defensively until the top of the ninth inning. Jackson Fristoe, who pitched a solid eighth inning, gave up a walk, three hits and two runs without recording an out. With runners on the corners, the Diamond Dawgs opted to pull Hunt from the bullpen. Hunt got out of the inning with two strikeouts and a groundout to keep any more runs from scoring.

Hunt missed more than a month of action after suffering an injury early in the season. He is just now starting to see time on the mound again, but he has been dominant in his return. Hunt said that he is ready to keep taking the field even more for his team.

"I just want to get out there and throw some innings," Hunt said. "It's been obviously six weeks since I've thrown a lot so I can't wait for the upcoming weekend."

Hancock got on base with a single to lead things off and give the Bulldogs a fighting chance. Tanner flew one out to the warning track to pick up the first out, then Hines stepped up to the plate. The true freshman has struggled for the past few weeks, but he saved the game for his team with a soaring home run over the right-field wall. The score was knotted at five apiece and the game went to extra innings.

After another dominant half-inning of defense, the Diamond Dawgs had a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the 10th inning. Forsythe had another hit with one out-- his fourth of the night-- to become the winning baserunner for the Bulldogs. UAB pitcher Jordan Bonk attempted to pick him off at first base, but the ball went rolling past the first baseman. Forsythe made it to third, and Mississippi State was a sacrifice fly away from claiming the victory. James was the one to bring him home on a fly ball that soared into left field.

The Diamond Dawgs walked it off with a 6-5 victory and some much-needed momentum heading into the upcoming weekend series against Auburn.

Head coach Chris Lemonis was pleased with his team not giving up, but he said they need to do more in the earlier innings.

"I'm proud of the way they played at the end of the game, they keep fighting," Lemonis said. "I mean, they're very invested. We can play better early. You know, I think at times we're just, you know, once again we're leaving too many guys on."

Mississippi State will face Auburn on Thursday night to kick off Super Bulldog Weekend. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT.