Back in action on a perfect night for baseball on the plains, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will look to exercise short-term memory as they try to even the series with the 11th-ranked Auburn Tigers after a heartbreaking 6-5 loss on Friday night.

With a full house against them, the Mississippi State Bulldogs would have a tall hill to climb after dropping the series’ first game on Friday night. However, with a side of short-term memory and playing within their potential, Saturday night could be different for Coach Lemonis and his feisty Bulldogs.

With just five conference wins, Mississippi State desperately needed to rebound on Saturday night.

Evan Siary will get the starting role tonight for the Bulldogs against Auburn. Siary delivered a near-perfect outing while working a sizeable early lead, delivering six complete innings, giving up four hits and three runs while striking out four Auburn batters on Saturday night. Stone Simmons would come in for a middle relief stint, going 1.1 innings, giving up five hits, four runs, and striking out three Auburn batters. Following a two-run base hit in the bottom of the 8th, Nate Williams would be brought in to close the door on Auburn with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the 8th. Despite having the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th inning with one out, the defense bailed Williams out by turning a double play to end the inning.

Mississippi State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Auburn in the top half of the first inning, capped off by two home runs from Ace Reese and Hunter Hines. Auburn would add a run to the scoreboard in the bottom half of the third to cut the Mississippi State lead to 4-1. As they did in the first inning, Mississippi State would respond in the top half of the 4th inning with a six-run inning with the help of timely hitting from just about the entire lineup. Auburn would put pressure on the Bulldogs in the 5th through 8th innings, with a combined six runs before the 8th, which ended with a double play that sent the game to the 9th inning, with Mississippi State leading Auburn 11-7. Gehrig Frei would add an insurance run off a base hit that scored one to make it 12-7 Mississippi State as they went into the bottom of the 9th.

It might not have been the prettiest way to win a baseball game, and it had its fair share of drama, but the Bulldogs now have the opportunity to play a massive series on Sunday against Auburn. No team in the country needs a series win like Mississippi State does on Sunday. As it stands on Saturday night following a game two win over Auburn, the Bulldogs are likely on the outside looking in for an at-large bid to a Regional. Still, a series win could change all that, with a winnable May on the horizon for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State and Auburn will play in the rubber match on Sunday. The first pitch is slated for 2:00 p.m. on the SEC Network Plus.

Photo Credits – Mississippi State Baseball on X