HOOVER, Ala. — The Mississippi State baseball team capitalized on a throwing error in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday night to beat Troy 9-8 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
The victory helped MSU (27-22) win its final non-conference game and set the stage for its final two Southeastern Conference series of the regular season.
Elijah MacNamee doubled to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning. He scored when a bunt by Marshall Gilbert was thrown away at third base.
“You have to be proud of the kids,” MSU interim coach Gary Henderson said. “To come back and score in the ninth and then the 10th is impressive. We really needed this win, so it was a great that we found a way.”
MSU led 7-4 lead entering the ninth, but Troy scored four times and forced MSU to answer. With one out, Rowdey Jordan and Tanner Allen singled before a walk to Luke Alexander loaded the bases. Hunter Stovall hit a deep fly ball for a game-tying sacrifice fly. A popup ended that threat.
Riley Self worked a perfect 10th to set the stage for MSU’s 15th come-from-behind victory.
MSU had 13 hits and played errorless ball. Jake Mangum, Jordan, and MacNamee had three hits, while Allen had two.
Mangum, Jordan, and Allen combined for eight hits out of the top three spots in the lineup.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the first on one hit — an RBI single by Stovall.
Troy scored in the second and MSU scored in the third. An RBI single by Allen ran the Bulldogs’ lead to 3-1.
Troy took a 4-3 lead with three runs in the fifth. An RBI double by Jordan tied the game at 4 in the home half of the fifth.
The Bulldogs then took a 7-4 lead an inning later when Hunter Vansau and Mangum had RBI singles. Vansau scored when Mangum stole second base.
Jacob Billingsley drew the start and threw two innings. Denver McQuary followed with two innings. Keegan James, Cole Gordon, and Blake Smith followed before Zach Neff got one out in the ninth.
Self (2-0) recorded the final two outs in the ninth and retired the side in order in the 10th.
MSU’s seven-game road trip will come to a close this weekend with a three-game series at No. 17 Kentucky. The series will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU) in Lexington, Kentucky.
No. 5 Ole Miss will play host to No. 18 Auburn
OXFORD — The No. 5 Ole Miss baseball team will play host to No. 18 Auburn at 6 tonight (ESPNU) in Game 1 of a three-game, Southeastern Conference weekend series at Swayze Field.
The teams will play at 6:30 p.m. Friday and at 4 p.m. Saturday . Those games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Left-hander Ryan Rolison (6-4, 4.13 earned run average) is scheduled to start for Ole Miss (36-13, 13-11 SEC). Right-hander Davis Daniel (3-3, 5.28) is scheduled to start for Auburn (35-14, 13-11).
Ole Miss will try to win its 11th-straight series win at home. The Rebels have won their last nine series against ranked teams at Swayze Field.
The Rebels are second in the nation in average (8,772) and total (254,391) attendance this season. The last time SEC baseball was at Swayze, a new single-game attendance record was set at 12,152.
n In related news, junior right-hander Dallas Woolfolk has stepped away from the program effective immediately.
“Over the past three years, it has been an honor to be a member of the Ole Miss baseball team,” Woolfolk said. “As much as I love my teammates, coaches, and the game, I need to focus on my own personal health. With that being said, after much thought and prayer, I have decided to leave the team.
“It was a special feeling to step on the mound wearing that Ole Miss uniform. The support from my teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation is something I will never forget. I will always be a Rebel.”
Woolfolk, a preseason All-American by four outlets, was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings. The junior from Southaven had 60 career appearances. He recorded a single-season record 12 saves during his sophomore campaign in 2017.
“Dallas Woolfolk is a terrific individual who provided an impact both on and off the field,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. “After sitting down and talking with him, I respect his decision to step away from our program. The health of our student-athletes is always of the upmost importance. We will still be here to support Dallas, and we thank him for his contributions to our team.”
Southern Mississippi will play host to Louisiana Tech
HATTIESBURG — The No. 13 Southern Mississippi baseball team will play its final home Conference USA series this weekend when it takes on Louisiana Tech.
Game 1 of the three-game series will play at 2 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday.
ICC to face East Central in best-of-three playoff series
FULTON — The Itawamba Community College baseball team will face East Central C.C. at 6 tonight in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) playoffs in Decatur.
Game 2 will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Game 3 will follow if necessary.
This will be the third-straight year ICC (30-14, 16-12 MACJC) has advanced to the postseason.
ICC finished sixth in the MACJC, while ECCC was fifth.
Both teams spent time in the national rankings this season. The Indians climbed as high as No. 2, while the Warriors were as high as No. 5. In their regular season, ICC lost 6-5 and 11-4 in Fulton.
The winner of the best-of-three series will earn a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 tournament, which will begin May 16 in Eunice, Louisiana.
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