Revenge is best served off a grill in the left field lounge at Dudy Noble Field – at least for the red-hot No. 6 Mississippi State baseball team.
The Bulldogs (21-4, 4-2 SEC) took an earlier loss at No. 11 Southern Miss (19-6, 3-3 Sun Belt) personally and won Tuesday night’s matchup 12-0 in seven innings.
Brian O’Connor’s club scored 12 runs on 14 hits in the in-state midweek showdown. Center fielder Aidan Teel accounted for four of the hits and as many runs while also logging two RBI and a home run.
Right-handed pitcher Chris Billingsley Jr. set the tone early with two clean innings, allowing the maroon and white’s offense to get going under zero pressure. The East Central Community College transfer was credited with the win after logging a pair of strikeouts and only allowing two hits.
The Bulldogs scored early and often, adding runs to the board in all but one frame. A three-run top of the first found Mississippi State with an early lead, one the visiting Golden Eagles would never threaten.
Southern Miss starting pitcher Thomas Crabtree loaded the bases with no outs in the Bulldogs’ opening offensive frame, and the home club, fueled by a raucous home crowd consisting of nearly 13,000 fans, took advantage of a golden opportunity to land what was ultimately a knockout punch. A single by Gehrig Frei sent Ace Reese and Teel to home plate. Mississippi State tacked on another run in the inning courtesy of a single by Ryder Woodson that scored Noah Sullivan.
The Bulldogs added a run to the scoreboard in the bottom of the second to make it a 4-0 ballgame, then blew things out of reach during the next offensive frame. Freshman Jacob Parker hit a three-run home run. Teel hit a long ball, scoring two runs and giving Mississippi State a 9-0 advantage going into the fourth.
Woodson hit a single in the bottom of the fourth that scored Reed Stallman, elevating the likelihood of a 10-run rule taking effect. The prospect of that happening was all but assured in the bottom of the fifth when a Stallman single scored Teel and Bryce Chance.
Meanwhile, Southern Miss struggled to get the bats going, and situational hitting was virtually nonexistent. Golden Eagle second baseman Kyle Morrison struck out swinging with bases loaded in the top of the seventh to officially wrap the contest in maroon and white.
Southern Miss was led offensively by Joey Urban’s two hits. The center fielder had the only multi-hit night for the black and gold. Crabtree (0-2) was handed the loss after surrendering three earned runs in 0.1 innings. Head coach Christian Ostrander pulled his starter early, calling on JW Armistead to come in and clean up the mess. The Golden Eagles threw nine arms in the matchup.
Next up
Mississippi State will travel to Oxford to face No. 18 Ole Miss over the weekend, while Southern Miss will return home for a series versus Appalachian State.