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Defensive blunders lead to 13-11 loss for Mississippi State

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•03/22/25•

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ace reese
Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese (Photo by Mississippi State Athletics)

A poor defensive effort early would haunt Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Five errors in the first two innings got Oklahoma out to a big lead and a furious comeback by the Diamond Dawgs wasn’t enough. After State fought all the way back from a seven-run deficit, a late two-run home run from the Sooners would even the weekend series in a 13-11 ball game.

Though State was able to make an incredible comeback to take a lead in the seventh inning, the defensive miscues early in the game were the difference. All four infielders would put on a circus act in the first couple of innings as Sawyer Reeves had two errors and Ace Reese, Dylan Cupp and Hunter Hines all had miscues to allow the Sooners to build a 7-0 lead.

The Diamond Dawgs would battle back in the fourth as Ace Reese and Hines’ home runs would lead a five-run charge in the third to close the lead to 7-4. After the lead stretched back out to 10-5 in the bottom of that inning, State went back to work with another Reese homer and his three-run bomb followed by Bryce Chance’s groundout made it 10-9.

Reeves tied the game up in the fifth with a single and the Bulldogs completed the comeback with Noah Sullivan’s two-out RBI single in the seventh. Unfortunately, State couldn’t hold it.

With runners on first and second and Ryan McPherson in the game, a ground ball to second looked like it could get the Bulldogs out of the inning. Cupp’s throw over to first on a potential double play pulled Hines off the bag and kept the inning alive. Oklahoma tied the game on the next at bat with an RBI single.

In the bottom of the eighth, Nate Williams had a runner on with two outs and would give up a two-run home run to the nine-hole hitter to give up the lead. A three-up-three down ninth ended it there at 13-11 and State blew a chance at taking the series.

The loss joined a long list of frustrating defeats for State. The Diamond Dawgs (15-8, 1-4 SEC) had 17 hits in the game with six doubles and three home runs and still lost. Sullivan, Reeves and Hines all finished with three hits with Hines driving in two runs on a home run and a double. Reeves had two doubles in the game with an RBI and Sullivan drove in a run and had a double.

Reese, Stallman and Chance all had two hits with Reese driving in five runs on two homers.

While the defense was a major issue for State, the pitching didn’t help. Ben Davis started the game and lasted just 1.0 inning with his second-straight early exit. Davis gave up five hits, seven runs and one walk but just two of his runs were earned.

Bulldog pitchers gave up 14 hits and five walks while striking out seven batters.

State now has a critical game three coming on Sunday as they try to go for the series win at 2 p.m. Karson Ligon will be on the mound.

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