STARKVILLE, Miss. — In a grueling, back-and-forth Southeastern Conference showdown that lasted nearly five hours, the Mississippi State Bulldogs outlasted the LSU Tigers 10-8 in 11 innings on Friday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. A walk-off home run sealed the victory in a game where both offenses traded blows from the opening frame.
LSU struck quickly in the top of the first inning, capitalizing on an early error. Catcher Omar Serna Jr. lined an RBI single to left field to score left fielder Chris Stanfield. Shortstop Steven Milam followed with an RBI single to right-center to bring home center fielder Derek Curiel, and first baseman Mason Braun added an RBI groundout to give the Tigers an early 3-0 lead. Mississippi State answered in the bottom half of the first when first baseman Blake Bevis crushed a two-run home run to left-center, scoring third baseman Ace Reese.
In the top of the third inning, Serna Jr. extended LSU’s lead to 4-2 with a solo home run to left field. Mississippi State immediately responded in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to right field by Ace Reese, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
The Tigers padded their lead with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. After Curiel reached on a fielding error by the shortstop that allowed right fielder William Patrick to score, Steven Milam delivered a crucial two-run single up the middle to widen the gap to 7-3. Mississippi State clawed one back in the bottom of the fourth when second baseman Gehrig Frei hit an RBI single through the right side to score center fielder Bryce Chance.
The Bulldogs continued to chip away in the middle innings. Designated hitter Noah Sullivan launched a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Mississippi State tied the game at 7-7 by showing patience at the plate; Sullivan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score shortstop Ryder Woodson, and Blake Bevis followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score catcher Kevin Milewski.
The game remained deadlocked until the top of the ninth inning, when LSU regained the lead. William Patrick hit an RBI single to right field, bringing home pinch-hitter Daniel Harden to make it 8-7. Down to their final outs in the bottom of the ninth, Mississippi State tied the game once again when Ryder Woodson laced an RBI single through the left side, scoring pinch-runner Gatlin Sanders to force extra innings.
After a scoreless tenth, Mississippi State found the deciding blow in the bottom of the 11th inning. Following a single by Bryce Chance, Kevin Milewski launched a dramatic two-run home run to left field, securing the 10-8 walk-off victory for the Bulldogs.
For Mississippi State, the offense was powered by Kevin Milewski, who went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and the game-winning, walk-off two-run home run in the 11th inning. Blake Bevis delivered a major performance, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a team-high three RBIs. Ace Reese went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored, while Noah Sullivan finished 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Bryce Chance also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-6 with two runs scored.
LSU’s offensive attack was led by Omar Serna Jr., who went 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Steven Milam was highly productive out of the middle of the order, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Derek Curiel went 2-for-6 with a double and two runs scored, while William Patrick added two hits and an RBI. Mason Braun also contributed a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-5.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the final decision after early exits. Mississippi State starter Tomas Valincius pitched 3.2 innings, allowing seven runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out four. The Bulldogs utilized five relievers—Maddox Miller, Chris Billingsley, Ben Davis, Maddox Webb, and Dane Burns—to cover the final 7.1 innings, holding LSU to just one run over that extended stretch. Reliever Burns pitched a scoreless 11th inning to earn the victory.
For LSU, starter Gavin Guidry lasted 2.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts. The Tigers’ bullpen, consisting of Connor Benge, Ethan Plog, Grant Fontenot, Deven Sheerin, Santiago Garcia, and Zac Cowan, pieced together the remainder of the contest. Cowan pitched the final two innings and took the loss after giving up the game-winning home run in the 11th.
- Winning Pitcher: Dane Burns (2-0)
- Losing Pitcher: Zac Cowan (1-3)
- Save: None
Game Details The marathon 11-inning contest lasted 4 hours and 53 minutes. First pitch was delivered at 3:02 p.m. under partly cloudy skies with a temperature in the mid-70s and a 9 mph south wind. The announced attendance at Dudy Noble Field was 13,489. The umpiring crew consisted of Ben Levin (Home Plate), Jason Bradley (First Base), David Savage (Second Base), and Alex Ransom (Third Base).
With the victory, the Mississippi State Bulldogs improve to an overall record of 32-10 and 11-8 in SEC conference play. LSU falls to 24-19, with a 6-13 mark in the SEC.
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