STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs delivered a commanding all-around performance to defeat the Auburn Tigers 10-3 on Thursday night at Dudy Noble Field in front of an announced crowd of 12,658.. Bolstered by an early grand slam and a masterful pitching display that featured 15 total strikeouts, the Bulldogs controlled the series opener from the first inning onward.
Mississippi State set the tone immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Following a single by first baseman Blake Bevis and a walk to right fielder Jacob Parker, designated hitter Noah Sullivan reached base, setting the stage for center fielder Bryce Chance. Chance launched a massive grand slam to left field, bringing home Jacob Parker, Noah Sullivan, and Blake Bevis to give the Bulldogs an early 4-0 lead.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third inning when left fielder Vytas Valincius lined an RBI single through the left side to score Sullivan. Auburn broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning; after first baseman Ethin Bingaman singled and stole second, shortstop Brandon McCraine delivered an RBI single through the left side to cut the deficit to 5-1. Mississippi State quickly answered in the bottom half of the fifth when Chance struck again, hitting an RBI double to left-center to score Sullivan, pushing the lead to 6-1.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mississippi State added to its advantage. Following a walk to shortstop Ryder Woodson, second baseman Gehrig Frei blasted a two-run home run down the right-field line to make it 8-1. Auburn found some late life in the top of the seventh inning when left fielder Bub Terrell hit a two-run home run to left field, scoring second baseman Chris Rembert to make it an 8-3 game. However, the Bulldogs immediately extinguished any hopes of a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Jacob Parker launched a solo home run to right field, and later in the inning, Woodson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Chance, finalizing the score at 10-3.
Mississippi State’s offensive attack was spearheaded by Bryce Chance, who went an outstanding 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored, and a game-high five RBIs. Chance’s first-inning grand slam served as the decisive, game-winning hit, putting the Bulldogs ahead for good. Noah Sullivan was a constant catalyst on the basepaths, finishing 3-for-5 with a stolen base and three runs scored. Vytas Valincius added a 3-for-4 performance with an RBI, while Gehrig Frei (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs) and Jacob Parker (1-for-3, HR, 2 runs) provided essential power to the lineup.
For Auburn, the offense struggled to string together consistent at-bats. Bub Terrell provided the biggest highlight, going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run. Brandon McCraine went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Ethin Bingaman and Chris Rembert collected the Tigers’ only other hits.
Pitching Summary Mississippi State starting pitcher Tomas Valincius was dominant on the mound, carving up the Auburn lineup over 6.2 innings of work. Valincius allowed just three earned runs on four hits while striking out an impressive 13 batters without issuing a single walk to earn the victory. Reliever Jack Bauer pitched the final 2.3 innings perfectly out of the bullpen, allowing zero hits and zero walks while striking out two to shut the door on the Tigers.
Auburn starter Jake Marciano suffered the loss after struggling early. He lasted just 2.0 innings, surrendering four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four. The Auburn bullpen—consisting of LJ Cormier, Ethan Harden, Christian Chatterton, and Abe Chancellor—pitched the remaining 6.0 innings, allowing a combined six earned runs on ten hits.
- Winning Pitcher: Tomas Valincius (8-2)
- Losing Pitcher: Jake Marciano (4-4)
- Save: None
The series opener was played under partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 66 degrees and a north-northeast wind at 2 mph. First pitch was at 7:03 p.m., with the contest lasting 2 hours and 52 minutes. The umpiring crew featured Eddie Newsom at home plate, Justin Robinson at first base, Ronnie Teague at second base, and Chuck Pack at third base. With the victory, the Mississippi State Bulldogs improve their overall record to 38-12, carrying a 15-10 mark in SEC conference play. The Auburn Tigers fall to 33-15 overall, with a 14-11 record in the SEC.
The two teams will resume their weekend series with Game 2 on Friday at 7:30 p.m., followed by the series finale on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
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