No. 8 Bulldogs outlast Kentucky for 3-2 win

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 8 Mississippi State baseball team outlasted Kentucky for a 3-2 series-clinching victory Friday night at Dudy Noble Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 19-7 (4-4 SEC), while the Wildcats fall to 18-6 (5-3 SEC).

Pitchers took center stage as the MSU pitching staff surrendered just five hits and the Kentucky pitching staff surrendered just six.

Senior Rowdey Jordan led the MSU offense with three of the team’s six hits. He also scored two runs.

MSU sophomore starting pitcher Will Bednar tossed six innings, allowing two runs and three hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks.

Junior Cam Tullar then pitched a clean seventh inning before sophomore Landon Sims (2-0) earned the win after striking out two batters in two scoreless innings of work.

Kentucky sophomore starting pitcher Cole Stupp (3-1) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs in seven innings pitched. He struck out five batters and walked one.

After three scoreless innings, the Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Sophomore John Rhodes hit a one-out double to right field before graduate student T.J. Collett followed with a two-run home run to center field.

The Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to knot things up at 2-2. Senior Brayland Skinner drew a leadoff walk before Jordan singled to right field. Senior Tanner Allen scored Skinner on an RBI single to right field. A sacrifice fly from junior Luke Hancock tied the game.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jordan led off with a single to right field. Allen was then hit by a pitch before both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Hancock’s second sacrifice fly of the game gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.

Kentucky sophomore Chase Estep grounded into a double play to end the game.

The Bulldogs will look for the series sweep over the Wildcats on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be streaming on SEC Network+.