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Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Hammers Texas A&M To Open Crucial SEC Series

Mississippi State’s offense erupted against Texas A&M, with Jacob Parker driving in five runs and the Bulldogs taking the series opener.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Outfielder Bryce Chance (#38) during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Outfielder Bryce Chance (#38) during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

It’s hard to argue against the SEC being the best conference in college baseball. Nine of the 16 teams are ranked, eight sit inside the top 16 of the NCAA RPI and the league could easily send 12 teams to the NCAA Tournament. Every weekend feels loaded, and the final one before Hoover is no different.

So the last thing you expect to see is a lower‑ranked team run‑ruling a top‑10 opponent on the road. But Mississippi State came close to doing exactly that Thursday night in College Station.

No. 13 Mississippi State put up 13 runs in the second inning en route to an 18-11 win over No. 10 Texas A&M.

There’s plenty to like from the Bulldogs, but the biggest takeaway is simple: they’ve hit the magic number of SEC wins needed to host an NCAA Regional. Nothing is guaranteed, but they’re in the right spot.

The only blemish, if you want to call it that, was not ending the game early. The Aggies trailed 17-7 in the bottom of the seventh and needed one run to avoid the run‑rule. They got it after an Aidan Teel fielding error turned a leadoff double into a triple for Sorrell, who scored two batters later on a groundout.

Texas A&M added three more in the eighth and Mississippi State tacked on one in the ninth, but the game had already been decided long before then.

The run‑rule slipped away, but the result never did. Mississippi State got the win it came for, and at this point in May, that’s the only line that counts.

Pitching Decisions

  • WP: Tomas Valincius (9-2), 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 102 TP
  • LP: Ethan Darden (4-2), 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 31 TP

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

  • Gehrig Frei: 3-6, 2 R, 2 RBI
  • Ace Reese: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB
  • Noah Sullivan: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
  • Jacob Parker: 2-5, 1 R, 5 RBI, 1 HR
  • Vytas Valincius: 3-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
  • Kevin Milewski: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB

Next Up

Mississippi State will look to make another loud statement Friday night when it resumes the weekend series against the Aggies.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on SECN+. The Bulldogs are expected to send right-hander Duke Stone to the mound to start while the Aggies haven’t announced their starter.

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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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