BILOXI — Mississippi State baseball improved to 12-4 on the season after a win over Old Dominion at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi on Tuesday. The Bulldogs won 9-4 thanks to a high-scoring run in the middle innings, highlighted by a five-run fourth inning.
It’s the first of two midweek games on the coast before the start of Southeastern Conference play this weekend, and Chris Lemonis saw his team pass the test despite some nervy innings.
The Bulldogs blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth with a string of hits and good fortune on offense to take the lead with five runs. Aaron Downs got things going with an RBI single, followed by Reeves’ RBI on a fielder’s choice. The Bulldogs followed the strong start to the inning with a score on a wild pitch and Reese raked a 2 RBI double to the center field wall before Old Dominion went to the bullpen to stop the bleeding.
Ross Highfill added another run in the fifth to make it 7-1. Old Dominion got back in the game in the sixth with three runs of their own, but the Bulldogs responded with another pair of RBI hits from Noah Sullivan and Hunter Hines to restore a sizeable advantage.
Reliever Mikhai Gran was credited with the win for his work out of the bullpen. He was one of six pitchers to see action on the night with Evan Siary starting and getting most of the work done in three complete innings of work, allowing two hits and recording five punchouts.
The Bulldogs play again on Wednesday against Nicholls State in Biloxi. The game starts at 5 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network + via the ESPN app.