Biloxi, Miss. — Third-ranked Mississippi State rallied with a seven-run seventh inning to beat Tulane 11-7 Tuesday night at Keesler Federal Park, in front of the second-largest crowd in park history, according to school officials.
Tulane jumped ahead early, scoring twice in the first inning on an RBI single by Jason Wachs and a sacrifice fly from Nolan Nawrocki. Mississippi State responded immediately, tying the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning with a double from Noah Sullivan and an RBI single from Reed Stallman.
The Green Wave regained control in the fourth, with Nate Johnson hitting a two-run homer to give Tulane a 4-2 lead. Tulane extended its lead in the seventh, adding three runs highlighted by RBI hits from Tye Wood and Matthias Haas, along with Haas stealing home, to make it 7-2.
That’s when Mississippi State’s offense ignited. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning before Ace Reese hit a grand slam to left-center, tying the game. The rally continued as Sullivan reached on an error and scored, Stallman added an RBI single, and Gehrig Frei doubled to drive in another run. Chone James also contributed an RBI single, completing a seven-run inning and giving Mississippi State an 11-7 lead.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the eighth, with Wyers driving in a run on a sacrifice fly and Frei singling home another. Mississippi State finished with 12 hits, led by Frei and Stallman, who each drove in two runs. Reese’s grand slam accounted for four RBIs.
On the mound, Dane Burns earned the win in relief, helping stabilize the Bulldogs’ pitching after Tulane’s surge. Chris Billingsley and Ben Davis closed the game without allowing further runs. Tulane collected 10 hits, with Wachs and Wood each batting two and three, respectively.
Mississippi State opens Southeastern Conference play at Arkansas this weekend, with the first game scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network +. Fans can follow the team on social media under the handle ‘HailStateBB’.
