STARKVILLE, Miss. — Georgia narrowly defeated Mississippi State 10-9 Thursday night in a top-5 SEC baseball matchup at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs from Athens built a sizable lead early and held off a late rally by the Bulldogs from Starkville, according to the game summary.
Georgia jumped ahead early, with Tre Phelps launching a three-run homer in the second inning to give UGA a 4-0 lead. The visitors added a run in the third and fourth innings before exploding for four runs in the fifth to push the lead to 10-2, per the official box score.
Mississippi State showed resilience. Gehrig Frei hit a solo home run in the second inning. Aidan Teel sparked a comeback with a leadoff home run in the seventh. Ryder Woodson and Jacob Parker contributed key doubles, and Andrew Raymond added an RBI single, helping State cut the deficit to 10-7 after the seventh.
In the ninth, Mississippi State loaded the bases and scored two runs on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly by Bryce Chance. The rally fell just short when UGA reliever Caden Aoki recorded the final out to earn the save, according to the official stats.
Frei led Mississippi State with three hits, while Woodson drove in three runs. Phelps paced Georgia with three hits and four RBIs, including the early homer. Georgia’s starter Joey Volchko earned the win after five innings, and MSU’s Charlie Foster took the loss after allowing five runs in two innings. The teams will face off again Friday night, with Mississippi State sending Tomas Valincius to the mound against Dylan Vigue for Georgia, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
