The Mississippi State baseball team walked out of Trustmark Park in Pearl on Tuesday with its sixth win in a row – this time a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Southern Miss.
After giving up four runs to the Golden Eagles (8-5) in the bottom of the first, the Bulldog bullpen went the distance for the next eight innings. Five relief pitchers made up for a poor outing from Karson Ligon to hold Southern Miss scoreless for the rest of the game, combining for three hits allowed and eight strikeouts.
As the bullpen continued to work, Mississippi State’s offense got on the board with two runs in the top of the third. David Mershon drove a double down the left field line, which scored Joe Powell from second. A couple of at-bats later, Dakota Jordan grounded out to first, which scored Dylan Cupp from third.
The Bulldog bats heated up again to start the fifth inning, with Jordan singling in Amani Larry from third to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Right after that, Hunter Hines grounded out to first which knocked in a runner and tied the game up at four apiece.
Breaking the deadlock was no other than Jordan, who blasted a home run off Kros Sivley and over the center field fence to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the night.
DJ 💣 Dawgs take the lead!
📺 » https://t.co/qa1SbQJ1yZ#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/XaV7NK9gAi
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) March 6, 2024
That lead would stick as Mississippi State (9-4) found its second win in a row over Southern Miss and advanced the all-time series to 85-44 in the Bulldogs’ favor.
Topping the stat sheet for the Golden Eagles was Billy Butler with two hits, including a solo home run. For Mississippi State, Jordan finished with two hits, one home run, three RBI, and one run scored. Sivley (0-2) was marked with the loss while Tyson Harley (2-0) snagged the win.
