STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs relied on a dominant pitching performance and a four-run second inning to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 7-2 on Saturday at Dudy Noble Field. The win clinched the SEC series over the Commodores.
Mississippi State opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Following back-to-back walks to Ryder Woodson and Jacob Parker, and a bunt single by Kevin Milewski, Aidan Teel hit an RBI single to second base, scoring Woodson to make it 1-0. This go-ahead hit would stand as the game-winner. Ace Reese followed with a two-run double down the right-field line to score Milewski and Parker. Reed Stallman then capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Teel home for a 4-0 Bulldogs lead.
Vanderbilt responded in the top of the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 4-2. Brodie Johnston reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and advanced to second on a passed ball. After Colin Barczi singled and Chris Maldonado walked, Mike Mancini hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Johnston with an unearned run. Rustan Rigdon then hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Barczi with the inning’s second unearned run.
Mississippi State quickly got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Noah Sullivan hit a solo home run down the left-field line. The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh when Bryce Chance hit a two-run double down the third-base line, scoring Woodson and Parker to finalize the score at 7-2.
Leading Hitters For Mississippi State, Noah Sullivan went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Bryce Chance finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Ace Reese added a double and two RBIs, while Aidan Teel drove in the game’s opening and winning run.
For Vanderbilt, Colin Barczi led the offense by going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Rustan Rigdon went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Pitching Summary Mississippi State starting pitcher Tomas Valincius turned in a stellar outing, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing just two unearned runs on two hits and one walk. He struck out 14 batters to earn the win. Brendan Sweeney pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and striking out three to close out the game. There was no save recorded.
Vanderbilt starter Wyatt Nadeau took the loss after allowing five earned runs on seven hits and five walks over 4.0 innings. He struck out four. Luke Guth pitched 4.0 innings of relief for the Commodores, allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks.
- Winning Pitcher: Tomas Valincius (5-0)
- Losing Pitcher: Wyatt Nadeau (1-1)
- Save: None
Game Details The game was played under clear skies with a temperature of 81 degrees and an 8 mph south-southwest wind. The time of game was 2 hours and 40 minutes, and the announced attendance was 14,834 at Dudy Noble Field.
Team Records With the win, Mississippi State improves to 19-4 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. Vanderbilt’s record falls to 13-11 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
Upcoming Schedule The Bulldogs and Commodores will conclude their weekend series with the rubber match on Sunday, March 22, at 1 P.M. on SEC Network+. Following this series, Mississippi State remains at Dudy Noble Field to host Southern Miss on Tuesday, March 24, at 6 P.M.
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