ARLINGTON, Texas — Fourth-ranked Mississippi State opened the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series with an 8-4 victory over Arizona State on Friday morning at Globe Life Field. The Bulldogs improved to 10-0, while the Sun Devils fell to 8-2.
Both teams traded zeroes through the first four innings as Mississippi State’s Ryan McPherson and Arizona State’s Cole Carlon kept hitters off balance. McPherson pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts to earn his second win of the season.
The Bulldogs broke through in the fifth inning. Blake Bevis singled, Ryder Woodson drew a walk, and Bryce Chance delivered a single to put Mississippi State ahead. Gehrig Frei then hit a three-run homer to right field, igniting the crowd and giving the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
Mississippi State continued to extend its lead in the sixth. Noah Sullivan singled, James Nunnallee walked, and Chone James hit a two-run single. Reed Stallman added an RBI single, making it 7-1. Aidan Teel added insurance with a solo homer in the eighth, his second of the season.
Arizona State mounted a late rally, with two solo home runs in the ninth against reliever Maddox Miller. However, the Bulldogs held on for the four-run win. Frei finished 1-for-2 with three RBIs, and James drove in two runs. The team totaled seven hits, with contributions from Chance, Stallman, and Teel.
Mississippi State will host Virginia Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m., with sophomore Tomas Valincius scheduled to start. The game will be streamed on FloCollege. For more updates, visit www.HailState.com or follow the team on social media under ‘HailStateBB.’
