STARKVILLE - The trip to Starkville has not been kind to Southern Miss the past two seasons.
No. 6 Mississippi State wasted no time taking control, erupting for nine runs over the first three innings and cruising to a 12-0 run-rule victory over No. 11 Southern Miss in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
The Bulldogs (21-4) piled up 14 hits and overwhelmed the Golden Eagles early, handing Southern Miss (19-6) its most lopsided defeat of the season. It also marked the second straight year Mississippi State has dominated Southern Miss in Starkville, after an 18-3 win a season ago , both coming after a Southern Miss win in Hattiesburg.
“Ran into a buzzsaw,” Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander said. “They earned it early. We didn't execute some pitches early. They kinda singled us to death and then got some big hits later in the game when the opportunity arose. We just didn't pitch it well enough to have a chance against that offense.”
Mississippi State set the tone immediately in the first inning as Aidan Teel and Ace Reese opened with back-to-back singles before Noah Sullivan worked a walk to load the bases. Gehrig Frei delivered a two-run single up the middle, and Ryder Woodson followed with an RBI knock to give the Bulldogs a quick 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added on in the second inning when Sullivan singled home Teel, who finished a perfect 4-for-4 night with four runs scored and two RBIs.
Any hope of a Southern Miss response quickly vanished in the third. After Frei singled and Woodson walked, Jacob Parker launched a three-run homer down the right-field line. Two batters later, Teel blasted a two-run shot to right, stretching the lead to 9-0 and sending a record midweek crowd of 12,887 into a frenzy.
Mississippi State continued to tack on in the fourth and fifth innings. Woodson drove in another run with a single in the fourth, and Reed Stallman added a two-run single in the fifth to push the advantage to 12-0.
Southern Miss never found an answer offensively. The Golden Eagles collected seven hits but failed to draw a walk, finishing with just seven baserunners while striking out 12 times. They also left eight runners on base, unable to capitalize on limited opportunities against Mississippi State’s pitching staff.
“It’s unacceptable,” Ostrander said of his team’s performance. “We don't like getting embarrassed. We don't like getting beat in that fashion. We can handle getting beat, we just weren't competitive enough on both sides, and we couldn't stop their momentum.”
The result was also surprising given Southern Miss’ pitching success early this season. Mississippi State consistently found barrels, particularly against some of the Golden Eagles’ younger arms.
In fact, Tuesday marked the first earned runs allowed all season by a Southern Miss freshman pitcher.
Southern Miss also suffered an injury scare as Matthew Russo was hit by a 99 mph fastball in the left knee during the game. Russo, who finished 0-for-1 at the plate, was evaluated afterward and showed noticeable swelling.
“It’s swelled up on him pretty good,” Ostrander said. “He couldn’t put much pressure on it, hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
The Golden Eagles return to action this weekend when they play host to App State in a Sun Belt Conference series. The set begins Friday night at Pete Taylor Park at 6 p.m.
