The Mississippi State softball team had made significant strides in Vann Stuedeman’s first two seasons as head coach.

The Bulldogs had made back-to-back NCAA regional appearances with a scattering of signature wins along the way.

MSU then took its biggest stride to date April 13 when it defeated then-No. 2 Alabama 4-3 in a 10-inning Southeastern Conference thriller at the MSU Softball Field.

Today, The Dispatch looks back at that game as the most exciting sporting event played in the Golden Triangle area in 2014.

The victory gave MSU Its second series win against Stuedeman’s former employer. It also marked MSU’s first series win against Alabama since 2004. Beating Alabama was so exceptional that the MSU players and coaches took a dip in the lake beyond the outfield wall at the complex following the game.

“We had been so close,” MSU then-senior first baseman Logan Foulks said. “To finally get this team over the hump is an incredible feeling. We kept believing. We won at-bat after at-bat. We never let down. We showed what type of competitors we are.”

MSU had evened the series with a 4-2 win the day before a school-record crowd of 1,577. The next day 998 were on hand as the teams battled into the 10th with a scoreless tie.

Alabama then-senior ace Jaclyn Traina handcuffed the Bulldogs in a 5-1 series-opening win. Traina was well on her way to another masterpiece, allowing seven hits but no runs through nine innings.

Equally tough for MSU was then-senior Alison Owen. Owen lost her shutout with two outs in the top of the 10th when Alabama rallied for three runs on four hits.

“It was the most exciting game I was ever a part of,” Owen said. “Alabama is one of those teams that sets the standard in softball. We were out there battling our hearts out and playing in front of all of our fans. We weren’t going to give up until the final out was recorded.”

A walk and hit batsman started MSU’s 10th. Alabama’s Sydney Littlejohn came on in relief and was touched for four runs on two hits. A critical error aided the Bulldogs’ cause. A fielder’s choice by Caroline Seitz tied the game before a sacrifice fly by Katie Anne Bailey won it.

“You dream of moments like this,” said Bailey, a then-freshman from Madison. “All I was thinking was put the ball in play and make something happen. Our confidence really grew a lot from winning this series.”

The win was MSU’s second against a top-five opponent at home.

The momentum from the Super Bulldog Weekend series win continued the following weekend as MSU won a series at then-No. 4 Tennessee.

“Winning the Alabama series was really huge,” Stuedeman said. “We had been close. We had won a game in several conference series. We were still learning how to win a second game and close the door in a weekend series. To be able to do that against such an outstanding team was a huge testament for our team. It shows the growth and maturity of this team.

“We will always battle. We feel like we can compete with the elite team in the SEC.”

The Bulldogs recovered from a 3-10 start in league play to finish 10-14 in the SEC and 39-21 overall. MSU advanced to the conference tournament and also made a third-straight NCAA tournament regional.

Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott

Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.