STARKVILLE — Brian O’Connor’s coaching debut at Mississippi State resulted in a 6-5 win over Hofstra on Friday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. The game drew a record-opening day crowd of 12,824 fans, according to university officials.
Mississippi State (1-0) managed only three hits but capitalized on eight walks, wild pitches, and defensive errors to score runs. The Bulldogs fell behind 2-0 but rallied in the fourth inning with a four-run frame. Reed Stallman delivered the key hit, a two-run double that put the Bulldogs ahead.
The team added two more runs via walks, wild pitches, and aggressive baserunning to take a 4-2 lead. Stallman finished with two hits and three RBIs, accounting for half of the Bulldogs’ scoring. Ace Reese contributed two hits and scored twice, while Gehrig Frei reached base twice and scored an insurance run.
Hofstra (0-1) showed resilience, collecting 10 hits and tying the game in the fifth when Danny Corona doubled home a run. Mississippi State responded immediately in the bottom half. After Reese reached base, Stallman drew a walk to load the bases, and another walk forced home the go-ahead run. A bases-loaded walk later extended the lead to 6-3.
Despite being outhit 10-3, the Bulldogs controlled the strike zone and forced Hofstra into deep counts. Right-hander Ryan McPherson started and pitched four innings, allowing two runs with four strikeouts. Duke Stone (1-0) earned the win in relief, and Ben Davis secured the save with three innings of one-run ball, striking out five.
Hofstra scored single runs in the seventh and ninth innings, but Davis stranded the tying run to seal the victory. Mississippi State returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader, starting at noon. The series concludes with a game 45 minutes after the first.
Freshmen pitchers Charlie Foster and Tomas Valincius are expected to start for MSU, while Hofstra counters with Sean Hamilton and Christian Rasmussen. Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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