No. 3 Mississippi State rallied from a 7-2 deficit to beat Tulane 11-7 in the Hancock Whitney Classic on Tuesday, Mississippi State said. The Bulldogs improved to 15-2 while Tulane fell to 9-8, according to the teams.
Trailing 7-2, third baseman Ace Reese hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one run, Mississippi State said. Two singles and a double followed, producing three more runs and giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the night.
Mississippi State added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. A sacrifice fly scored Bryce Chance and an RBI single sent Peter Mershon home, the school said. Neither team scored in the ninth.
Gehrig Frei and Reed Stallman each had two hits and two RBIs, Mississippi State reported. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff struck out 12 batters. Dane Burns (1-0) was credited with the win after recording the final out of the top of the seventh and escaping a jam, the school said.
Tulane was led by Jason Wachs, who had three hits and an RBI, and Nate Johnson, who hit a two-run homer, the Green Wave said. Tom Vincent (1-1) took the loss after allowing an earned run. Tulane’s pitching staff recorded 14 strikeouts, including six by J.D. Rodriguez, the team reported. Mississippi State will begin SEC play at No. 5 Arkansas on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, according to the Bulldogs’ schedule.
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
