Saturday’s baseball game between Mississippi State and No. 2 LSU had the looks of another blown opportunity by the Bulldogs’ bullpen.
MSU, after just tying the game at two in the top of the seventh on a Luke Hancock home run, watched as its bullpen crumbled, allowing the Tigers to immediately score two runs and retake the lead in the bottom half of the inning.
The Bulldogs, however, had one more run in them.
Behind a six-run eighth inning, the Bulldogs (25-24, 7-19 SEC) ended their eight-game Southeastern Conference losing streak, coming back to pick up a 9-4 win over the Tigers and evening the weekend series.
Kellum Clark’s two-run homer tied the game at four, Slate Alford gave MSU a 5-4 lead on an RBI single and Colton Ledbetter helped the Bulldogs pull away with a three-run homer to give it an 8-4 lead.
Alford added another RBI in the ninth to pad MSU’s lead and Aaron Nixon closed the game out.
MSU had to first battle its way back from a 2-0 deficit, when David Mershon’s RBI double in the fifth cut LSU’s lead to one run and Hancock’s home run tied the game in the seventh.
The Bulldogs flirted with blowing a quality start from Cade Smith, who allowed two earned and struck out seven over six innings of work.
LSU (39-11, 17-8 SEC) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning after MSU reliever Colby Holcombe hit both batters he faced in two-strike counts, and KC Hunt walked the first batter he faced. Tommy White singled in a runner to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead, who then added another run on a double play by Cade Beloso.
The Bulldogs took the lead the next half inning and held on for the upset win.
The two teams return for Sunday’s game three with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. (SEC+).
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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