Georgia defeated Mississippi State 13-12 in the opening game of the Athens Super Regional Saturday, in a game marked by offensive fireworks and a back-and-forth battle. The Bulldogs of Athens jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Mississippi State rallied, setting the stage for a slugfest.
Mississippi State took a 7-0 advantage in the second inning, then extended its lead to 9-7 with home runs from Kevin Milewski and Gehrig Frei in the sixth. Georgia responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth and four in the fifth, taking a 9-7 lead. The Bulldogs tied the game at 9-9 in the sixth on back-to-back home runs from Milewski and Ryder Woodson.
Georgia regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, with Rylan Lujo hitting his second home run of the game. Mississippi State’s Ryder Woodson and Ace Reese then homered in the seventh and eighth, respectively, to give the Bulldogs a 12-10 advantage. Georgia answered in the bottom of the eighth when Michael O’Shaughnessy hit a two-run homer over center field to put the Bulldogs ahead 13-12.
Relievers struggled for both sides, and Georgia’s O’Shaughnessy’s homer proved decisive. Dane Burns replaced Ben Davis and surrendered the winning blast, while Mississippi State’s Justin Byrd earned his eighth save of the season. Georgia’s 13 runs and 11 home runs marked the most in a super regional game since 2023.
Hitting stars included O’Shaughnessy and Lujo for Georgia, both with two home runs, and Daniel Jackson, whose 30th season home run ranked fourth nationally. For Mississippi State, Milewski and Stallman each hit two homers, with Reese tying a school record with his 23rd season homer.
Starting pitchers Tomas Valincius of Mississippi State and Joey Volchko of Georgia struggled, each giving up multiple runs. Neither pitcher lasted beyond five innings, and the bullpens surrendered the decisive runs. Grant Edwards earned the win for Georgia, while Burns took the loss for Mississippi State.
Game two is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN and SuperTalk Mississippi stations. Georgia (50-12) needs a win to advance to its first College World Series since 2008. Mississippi State (43-18) will play for its season if it wins, forcing a decisive game Monday.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
