COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In a wild, back-and-forth offensive showcase, the Texas A&M Aggies defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 11-9 on Friday night at Blue Bell Park to even up their weekend series. The game was played under cloudy skies with a temperature of 84 degrees. First pitch was at 6:02 p.m., and the marathon contest lasted 3 hours and 22 minutes. The announced attendance at Blue Bell Park was 6,776.
Texas A&M struck first in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Caden Sorrell launched a two-run home run to right field. Mississippi State answered with a three-run second inning, capitalizing on an error that scored right fielder Jacob Parker, followed by RBI singles from catcher Kevin Milewski and shortstop Ryder Woodson.
Sorrell struck again in the bottom of the second with a two-run triple to put the Aggies back up 4-3. The Bulldogs temporarily retook the lead in the top of the third via back-to-back solo home runs from designated hitter Noah Sullivan and first baseman Reed Stallman. However, the Aggies responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run blast by first baseman Blake Binderup—which served as the game-winning hit by putting Texas A&M ahead for good—and a solo shot by third baseman Gavin Grahovac.
Woodson kept the Bulldogs close with a two-run homer in the fourth, but Sorrell added a two-run double in the fifth. Sullivan crushed his second home run of the game, a two-run shot in the sixth, narrowing the deficit to 10-9. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Texas A&M shortstop Boston Kellner in the bottom of the sixth provided the game’s final run.
Mississippi State’s Noah Sullivan paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs. Ryder Woodson (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBIs) and Reed Stallman (2-for-5, HR, RBI) also turned in impressive multi-hit performances to keep the Bulldogs in the fight.
For Texas A&M’s Caden Sorrell was virtually unstoppable at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple, a double, and a staggering six RBIs. Blake Binderup provided the pivotal game-winning three-run home run in the third inning and finished with three RBIs.
Offense dominated the starting pitching on both sides. Texas A&M reliever Shane Sdao stabilized the game in the middle innings to earn the victory, allowing five runs over 4.0 innings of work. Clayton Freshcorn was masterful in closing out the game for the Aggies, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts to shut the door on the Bulldogs. Mississippi State starter Duke Stone struggled early and took the loss, surrendering seven runs on nine hits in just 2.2 innings.
- Winning Pitcher: Shane Sdao (4-4)
- Losing Pitcher: Duke Stone (6-2)
- Save: Clayton Freshcorn (12)
With the victory, the Aggies improve to 38-13 overall and 17-11 in SEC play. Mississippi State falls to 39-15 overall and 16-13 in the conference. The two teams will play the rubber match in their series finale at 11 AM Saturday, May 16.
This was created with AI assistance, but edited for accuracy by the webmaster.