STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Georgia Bulldogs narrowly escaped with a 10-9 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Thursday, April 2, 2026, surviving a furious ninth-inning comeback attempt at Dudy Noble Field.
Georgia struck early in the top of the first inning when Tre Phelps scored on a passed ball. In the second inning, Phelps launched a massive three-run home run to center field, scoring Kolby Branch and M. O’Shaughnessy to extend the lead to 4-0.
Mississippi State got on the board in the bottom of the second when second baseman Gehrig Frei blasted a solo home run to right field. Georgia answered in the third on a sacrifice fly from Rylan Lujo that scored Henry Allen with an unearned run. Mississippi State countered in the bottom half when shortstop Ryder Woodson drew a bases-loaded walk to score third baseman Ace Reese, making it 5-2.
Georgia added another run in the fourth on a wild pitch that brought Kenny Ishikawa home. In the top of the fifth, Georgia’s offense erupted for four runs: M. O’Shaughnessy hit a sacrifice fly to score Jordy Oriach, Kenny Ishikawa laced a two-run single down the right-field line to score Brennan Hudson and Rylan Lujo, and Tre Phelps capped the frame with an RBI single to score Kolby Branch, making it 10-2.
Mississippi State refused to go quietly, exploding for five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Center fielder Aidan Teel started the rally with a solo home run down the right-field line. Ryder Woodson then ripped a two-run ground-rule double to left, scoring first baseman Reed Stallman and Ace Reese. Right fielder Jacob Parker immediately followed with an RBI double to score Woodson, and pinch-hitter Andrew Raymond drove in Parker with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 10-7.
In the bottom of the ninth, Mississippi State pushed Georgia to the brink. Andrew Raymond reached on a fielder’s choice to first base, bringing home Reed Stallman after a throwing error. Left fielder Bryce Chance then hit a sacrifice fly to second base, scoring Gehrig Frei. However, Georgia’s bullpen induced a game-ending groundout from Aidan Teel to seal the 10-9 victory.
For Mississippi State, Gehrig Frei led the way going 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Ryder Woodson delivered in clutch moments, going 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Aidan Teel (2-for-6) and Jacob Parker (2-for-4) both added home runs and doubles, respectively.
Georgia’s offense was paced by Tre Phelps, who went a spectacular 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Kenny Ishikawa also had a stellar night, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Mississippi State starter Charlie Foster took the loss, dropping his record to 0-1 after giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits over 2.0 innings. The Bulldogs relied heavily on their bullpen, using Tyler Pitzer, Jack Gleason, Dane Burns, Peyton Fowler, Jack Bauer, and Chris Billingsley Jr. to cover the final seven innings. Bauer was a bright spot, striking out two over 2.1 scoreless innings.
Georgia starting pitcher Joey Volchko earned the win to improve his perfect record to 6-0. He tossed 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Justin Byrd pitched 2.0 innings in relief before Caden Aoki took over to close things out. Aoki recorded his 3rd save of the season, pitching the final 2.0 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits.
- Winning Pitcher: Joey Volchko (6-0)
- Losing Pitcher: Charlie Foster (0-1)
- Save: Caden Aoki (3)
The game was played under partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 78 degrees and a 12 mph south wind. The game lasted 3 hours and 52 minutes, with a crowd of 12,828 fans in attendance.
Georgia improved to a 25-6 overall record (8-2 SEC), while Mississippi State fell to 25-5 overall (7-3 SEC).
This was created with AI assistance, but edited for accuracy by the webmaster.