Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Runs Past Austin Peay, Enters Weekend 9-0

The Bulldogs erased any lingering flashbacks with a seven-inning rout of Austin Peay, staying perfect ahead of a critical weekend series.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State players gather for a pregame meeting prior to Tuesday's game against Austin Peay at Dudy Noble Field.
Mississippi State players gather for a pregame meeting prior to Tuesday's game against Austin Peay at Dudy Noble Field. | Mississippi State Athletics

The ghosts of 2024, if they even really existed, have been vanquished.

Austin Peay wasn’t able to replicate its upset wins from two seasons ago against No. 4 Mississippi State on Tuesday, falling 16-6 in seven innings.

The win means the Bulldogs will head to their first big weekend series with a perfect 9-0 record and its lofty goals easily within reach.

Tuesday’s win came on the strength of strong performances at the plate and some dominant pitching. Mississippi State drove in all 16 of its runs in the win. Four of those runs came off of an Aidan Teel grand slam home run in the third inning that made the score 7-3.

Ace Reese continued his hot start to the season with a four-RBI game, including a three-run home run to right field in the sixth inning.

James Nunnallee put the game into run-rule territory with a pinch-hit three-run home run in the fifth inning. Reed Stallman and Bryce Chance each had two RBIs to help power the Bulldogs’ offense.

Mississippi State sent seven pitchers to the mound against the Governors and allowed a combined three run on four hits and six walks while striking out 10 batters. William Kirk got the start and lasted 1.2 innings before he was forced to exit with an injury. He allowed one run on two walks and one strikeout.

The only pitcher to allow any hits was freshman fireball hurler Jack Bauer, who also had two strikeouts and a walk in 0.2 innings of work.

The staff will have film to nitpick, but overall it was the kind of clean midweek outing you want before a defining weekend.

For now, the Bulldogs can enjoy a comfortable win over a program that stunned the college baseball world two years ago.

Winning/Losing Pitchers

  • WP: Billingsley (1-0) 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 14 TP
  • LP: Chance Cox (0-1) 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 68 TP

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

  • Ace Reese: 3-5, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR
  • James Nunnallee: 1-1, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR
  • Reed Stallman: 1-1, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB
  • Aidan Teel: 1-2, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 1 HBP
  • Bryce Chance: 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 2B

Next Up

Mississippi State has done what it was expected to do through the first nine games (win). Now comes the first real test of the season for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs will head to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Their three-game series will start at 11 a.m. Friday against Arizona State and Virginia Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Then comes one of the biggest games of the young season, No. 4 Mississippi State vs. No. 1 UCLA, on Sunday. First-pitch for that game is set for 2:30 p.m.

The entire weekend will be streamed on FloCollege (subscription required).

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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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