Mississippi State holds on to beat No. 24 Ole Miss after late-game comeback

Déjà vu doesn’t mean we’re living in a computer simulation, but it is certainly a feeling we’re all familiar with. Especially Mississippi State baseball fans.

In what looked eerily similar to many previous games, including this year’s Governor’s Cup, the Bulldogs saw a multi-run lead slip away when No. 24 Ole Miss scored two runs in the seventh and eighth innings. But in a twist-ending that’ll please the Bulldogs’ fans, Mississippi State held on to the lead to win 6-5.

The win gives the Bulldogs (31-20, 11-15 SEC) the series against the biggest rival and guarantees the Rebels (34-17, 14-13 SEC) will fall outside of the top 25 rankings for the first time since the season’s opening weeks.

Saturday’s series finale did resemble Mississippi State’s extra-innings loss to Ole Miss in the 2025 Governor’s Cup. The Bulldogs help multi-run leads at two separate points in the game and ended up losing them both.

The Bulldogs scored all six of their runs in the first five innings and entered the seventh inning with a 6-1 lead. It would take four different Mississippi State pitchers to save the win for starting pitcher Karson Ligon.

Ligon did well, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on three hits and seven strikeouts. But he walked six batters, which never helps a team. In all, Mississippi State pitchers issued 11 walks, one of which was a bases loaded walk that started off the Rebels’ late game scoring run.

Ace Reese was the leader at the plate for the Bulldogs on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a walk and a pair of RBIs. Gatlin Sanders also had two RBIs in a 2-for-3 performance at the plate.