Mississippi State did not control Friday night. It survived it. After falling behind early, responding multiple times and nearly letting it slip late, the Bulldogs found one last swing when it mattered most, defeating LSU 10-8 in 11 innings at Dudy Noble Field.
Kevin Milewski delivered it.
The junior catcher stepped in during the 11th inning and ended the game with a walk-off home run, scoring himself and Bryce Chance and sending Mississippi State out of the dugout in celebration.
The win extends the Bulldogs’ winning streak to six games and gives them a start toward rebuilding momentum at home after being swept in Starkville by both Tennessee and Georgia earlier this season.
It did not look like that early.
LSU jumped on Mississippi State immediately in the first inning, taking advantage of a defensive miscue that allowed Chris Stanfield to reach base. Derek Curiel followed with a double, and the pressure never left. By the time Tomas Valincius escaped the inning, LSU had built a 3-0 lead behind RBI production from Steven Milam and Jake Brown.
Mississippi State answered quickly.
With two outs in the bottom half, Blake Bevis delivered the first response, launching a two-run home run that brought the Bulldogs back within one. It was the first sign that this game would not settle early.
LSU kept pushing.
Omar Serna Jr. extended the lead with a solo home run in the third, and the Tigers added more in the fourth, capitalizing on another defensive mistake and timely hitting to stretch the advantage to 7-3.
Mississippi State did not match it all at once. It chipped away.
Ace Reese delivered a solo home run in the third to keep the Bulldogs within reach, and Noah Sullivan followed later with a solo shot of his own in the fifth. Those swings did not erase the deficit, but they kept Mississippi State close enough to matter.
The turning point came in the sixth.
Mississippi State put together its most complete inning of the night, building pressure instead of waiting on one swing. Walks, a hit-by-pitch and productive at-bats brought the Bulldogs all the way back, tying the game at 7-7 and resetting everything.
From there, it became a bullpen game.
Maddox Miller steadied things first, and Ben Davis followed with one of the most important stretches of the night. The senior right-hander delivered multiple scoreless innings, including back-to-back three-up, three-down frames that kept LSU from reclaiming control.
Still, LSU found another moment.
In the ninth, the Tigers pushed across a run to take an 8-7 lead, putting Mississippi State one out away from seeing the game slip.
The Bulldogs answered again.
Ryder Woodson stepped in and delivered a clutch RBI single on an 0-2 pitch, tying the game at 8-8 and forcing extra innings.
That sequence defined the night.
Mississippi State never allowed the game to settle after falling behind. Every time LSU created separation, the Bulldogs responded.
The biggest defensive moment came in the 10th.
With the bases loaded and two outs, LSU sent a ball into left field that looked like it could break the game open. Instead, James Nunnallee tracked it down and made a diving catch, ending the inning and preserving the tie.
That kept the door open.
Mississippi State could not capitalize in the bottom half of the inning, sending the game to the 11th, where the pitching staff held again.
Then came Milewski.
After Chance reached base, Milewski stepped in and delivered the final swing, turning a back-and-forth game into a walk-off win and finishing one of Mississippi State’s most resilient performances of the season.
It was not clean.
Mississippi State committed early mistakes, left runners on base and needed extra innings to finish. But it handled adversity, responded to every deficit and executed late when it mattered.
That has become the difference during this stretch.
Mississippi State is not just winning games right now. It is finding ways to win them.
The Bulldogs will look to carry that into Game 2 on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. as they continue to try building momentum at home.
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