Game three between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the 11th-ranked Auburn Tigers went down on one of the prettiest days for baseball on the Plains. Rubber matches are always a fun thing to look forward to as a fan. Still, the Bulldogs came into the deciding game three desperately needed a series win as their Regional hopes hung in limbo. The Bulldogs sit there with seven conference wins with three remaining until the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

On a day where Karson Ligon survived 1.1 innings before being pulled due to giving up seven hits and eight runs to the Auburn Tigers, creating a challenging hole to overcome, the Bulldogs would face an uphill climb due to the bad start from the pitching staff.

Auburn jumped out on Mississippi State early with a 2-0 lead after the first inning, before a two-run response from the Bulldogs, before breaking the seal with a six-run bottom of the second inning that got the Mississippi State starting pitcher replaced. Through two complete innings on Sunday, Auburn held an 8-2 lead over Mississippi State. Auburn would add three more runs to the scoreboard, making it 11-3 through four innings of play on Sunday. Mississippi State would add two runs in the 5th and one in the 6th to cut the Auburn lead to 11-6 through six complete innings of play. Auburn would add another three runs for insurance in the bottom of the 8th inning to make it 14-7 in favor of the Tigers. A solo shot from Ace Reese would make it look a bit better by cutting the lead to 14-8 in the 9th.

The fourteen runs scored by Auburn were too much for the Bulldogs to overcome as Mississippi State dropped another Southeastern Conference series. The spiral toward missing Regional play continues to be the harsh reality for this team unless something drastic changes.

Mississippi State will return home for four games this week. On Tuesday night, they will welcome the Memphis Tigers to Dudy Noble for a midweek tilt before welcoming the red-hot Kentucky Wildcats for another pivotal Southeastern Conference series. Both matchups give Mississippi State a chance to start the regular season’s final month with some momentum.

Cover photo credits- Auburn Baseball on X