COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In a wild, high-scoring Southeastern Conference slugfest that featured 29 combined runs, 29 combined hits, and nearly four hours of grueling baseball, the Mississippi State Bulldogs outlasted the Texas A&M Aggies 18-11 on Thursday evening. Playing under the lights at Blue Bell Park in the series opener, the Bulldogs utilized an unfathomable 13-run explosion in the third inning to seize control of a game that tested the endurance of both pitching staffs.
Despite the lopsided final score, the matchup began favorably for the home team. Texas A&M jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Mississippi State starting pitcher Tomas Valincius. Aggies third baseman Gavin Grahovac set the tone immediately by launching a solo home run to right field. Two batters later, designated hitter Chris Hacopian blasted a solo home run to left field, whipping the College Station crowd into a frenzy.
However, the tone of the game completely flipped in the top of the third inning. In one of the most prolific single-inning offensive displays of the college baseball season, Mississippi State sent an astounding 17 batters to the plate and scored 13 runs to blow the game wide open.
The marathon inning began innocently enough with back-to-back singles from left fielder Vytas Valincius and catcher Kevin Milewski. After shortstop Ryder Woodson reached on a throwing error by the Aggies’ catcher on a sacrifice bunt, second baseman Gehrig Frei delivered the pivotal blow. Frei grounded a two-run single through the right side of the infield, scoring Milewski and Vytas Valincius to tie the game and ultimately providing the game-winning hit that gave the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish.
From there, the floodgates opened against the Texas A&M bullpen. Third baseman Ace Reese followed with an RBI single, and designated hitter Noah Sullivan kept the line moving with an RBI single of his own. Right fielder Jacob Parker then delivered the heaviest damage of the frame, crushing a three-run home run to right field to push the lead to 7-2. But the Bulldogs were far from finished. Later in the inning, Vytas Valincius laced his second hit of the frame—an RBI single to center field—and Milewski subsequently launched a two-run home run to left-center. Before the third inning mercifully concluded, Sullivan added another RBI single and Parker ripped a two-run double, leaving the Aggies staring at a 13-2 deficit.
The two heavyweight lineups continued to trade massive blows in the middle innings. In the top of the fourth, Vytas Valincius hit a solo home run to left field to make it 14-2. Texas A&M answered in the bottom half of the frame when right fielder Jorian Wilson lined a two-run single through the left side. Mississippi State responded in the top of the fifth, adding three more runs highlighted by an Ace Reese solo home run to left field and a pair of unearned runs brought home by an Aggies error and a wild pitch, extending the Bulldog lead to 17-4.
Refusing to quietly surrender on their home turf, the Aggies mounted a spirited mid-game rally. In the bottom of the fifth, left fielder Jake Duer brought the home crowd back to life by crushing a three-run home run to right-center field. Texas A&M chipped away again in the bottom of the seventh when catcher Bear Harrison grounded out to score center fielder Caden Sorrell. The Aggies’ most potent late-game threat arrived in the bottom of the eighth; Gavin Grahovac hit an RBI ground-rule double down the right-field line, and Caden Sorrell followed with a two-run double to center field, trimming the massive Mississippi State lead down to 17-11.
Mississippi State added one final insurance run in the top of the ninth inning when pinch-hitter Chone James lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Noah Sullivan, finalizing the tally at 18-11.
Mississippi State’s offensive onslaught was a comprehensive team effort, generating 16 hits. Jacob Parker was the centerpiece of the run production, finishing 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and a staggering five RBIs. The last time a Bulldog hitter had such a big inning was in 2008 when Jason Nappi hit a grand slam and a three run homer in 1 inning at UAB for a 7 RBI inning on the way to an 11 RBI night.
Vytas Valincius was a constant menace, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Gehrig Frei, whose third-inning single sparked the comeback and served as the game-winning hit, tallied three hits in six at-bats with two RBIs. Ace Reese (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs), Kevin Milewski (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs), and Noah Sullivan (2-for-5, 2 RBIs) rounded out the incredibly productive top-to-bottom Bulldog lineup. First baseman Blake Bevis and center fielder Bryce Chance also contributed by consistently reaching base and scoring runs.
For Texas A&M, the offense fought valiantly to overcome the early deficit, racking up 13 hits. Gavin Grahovac set the pace, finishing 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs. Jake Duer provided a major spark with his three-run home run, while Caden Sorrell added a double and two RBIs. Shortstop Ben Royo, first baseman Blake Binderup, and second baseman Sawyer Farr also reached base to aid the Aggies’ late-game surges.
In a game utterly dominated by offense, finding outs was a grueling task for both pitching staffs. Mississippi State starting pitcher Tomas Valincius managed to navigate the turbulent waters well enough to earn the victory. The left-hander tossed 5.0 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out seven batters and walking only one. The Bulldogs’ bullpen was tasked with securing the final 12 outs; reliever Tyler Pitzer pitched 2.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs while striking out six, before Maddox Webb and Ben Davis combined to close out the final 1.1 innings without allowing a run.
Texas A&M starter Ethan Darden suffered the loss after being chased early. Darden lasted just 2.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits. From there, the Aggies were forced to cycle through a parade of seven different relief pitchers—Gavin Lyons, Grant Cunningham, Hunter Bond, Juan Vargas, Cole Hubert, Hunter Vincent, and Cooper Powell. The Texas A&M bullpen surrendered a combined 15 runs (six earned) over the final 7.0 innings as defensive miscues severely compounded their struggles on the mound.
- Winning Pitcher: Tomas Valincius (9-2)
- Losing Pitcher: Ethan Darden (4-2)
- Save: None
The Thursday night series opener was played under clear skies with a warm temperature of 89 degrees at first pitch. First pitch was at 6:02 p.m. local time and developed into an absolute marathon, requiring 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete. The announced attendance at Blue Bell Park was 5,862 fans.
With the shootout victory, the Mississippi State Bulldogs improve their stellar overall record to 39-14, carrying a 16-12 mark in highly competitive SEC conference play. The Texas A&M Aggies fall to a 37-13 overall record, dropping to 16-11 in the SEC standings.
The two heavyweight programs will look to reset their heavily taxed pitching staffs as they continue this critical late-season SEC weekend series. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, May 15 at 6 PM, followed by the series finale on Saturday, May 16 at 11AM.
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