The Lipscomb University Baseball team lost to national 14-seed Mississippi State 10-1 in the opening game of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship on May 29 at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bisons were unable to overcome a strong performance by the host Bulldogs, who advanced their record to 41-17 while Lipscomb fell to 29-25.
Mississippi State took control of the game in the fourth inning. Ace Reese singled to right field, followed by a walk from Noah Sullivan. Jacob Parker drove in Reese with a single through the right side for the first run. Vytas Valincius advanced runners with a bunt single, and Reed Stallman’s single up the middle added two more runs, giving Mississippi State a 3-0 lead after four innings.
In the sixth inning, Parker hit a solo home run down the right field line and Valincius doubled before Mississippi State ended the frame ahead 4-0. The Bulldogs widened their lead in the seventh inning by capitalizing on free bases and timely hits. After loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch and two walks, Parker’s walk brought home another run. Valincius followed with a two-run double and Milewski’s single plated two more runs.
Mississippi State added another run in the eighth inning when Gehrig Frei hit a solo home run to center field, making it 10-0.
Lipscomb managed to avoid being shut out during their final turn at bat. Cam Pruitt singled to right field and advanced on Jordan Thomas’s walk before Blake Carter delivered an RBI single down the left-field line that scored Pruitt. With this performance, Pruitt extended his streak of consecutive multi-hit games to seven and reached at least two hits for his twenty-third game this season.
Cam Pruitt led Lipscomb with two hits during Friday’s contest, while Blake Carter drove in their only run late in the game.
The Bisons now move into the loser’s bracket where they will face either Cincinnati or Louisiana—who play later Friday night—in an elimination game scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
