Mississippi State earned a 4-2 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday night at Dudy Noble Field, in front of a crowd of 14,649 — the sixth-largest on-campus attendance in NCAA baseball history, according to the university.
The Bulldogs improved to 18-4 overall and evened their SEC record at 2-2 with the win. MSU took an early lead in the second inning when Kevin Milewski hit a solo home run to left field. Vanderbilt responded in the next inning, tying the game on a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the third, MSU responded immediately. Noah Sullivan drew a walk, Gehrig Frei followed with a free pass, and Ryder Woodson hit a towering three-run homer to center field, putting the Bulldogs ahead 4-1. That proved to be all the offense they needed.
Bulldogs’ starter Ryan McPherson pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four. Jack Gleason (2-0) earned the win in relief, navigating a tight fifth inning. The bullpen of Gleason, Maddox Webb and Ben Davis limited Vanderbilt to two runs on four hits. Davis closed the game, earning his third save of the season.
Vanderbilt threatened late, scoring once in the eighth on an RBI double from Chris Maldonado. However, the Bulldogs’ bullpen stranded multiple runners and prevented the tying run from reaching the plate in the ninth. Maldonado led Vanderbilt with two hits and an RBI, while Ryder Woodson drove in three runs with his homer. Milewski added a solo shot, and Bryce Chance contributed a double for MSU’s eight-hit effort.
Vanderbilt starter Connor Fennell took the loss, giving up four runs over five innings. Mississippi State will attempt to clinch the series Saturday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+, with sophomore Tomas Valincius starting for the Bulldogs and Vanderbilt responding with Wyatt Nadeau.
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