No. 10 Southern Miss Edges No. 4 Mississippi State in Thriller

Golden Eagles rally late to hand Bulldogs second straight loss

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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In a closely contested matchup, the No. 10 Southern Miss Golden Eagles came from behind to defeat the No. 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs 7-6 on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs had taken a 6-5 lead in the 7th inning, but the Golden Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th to secure the victory and extend their winning streak to 11 games.

Why it matters

This game was a key early-season showdown between two top-ranked teams in the state of Mississippi. The loss drops Mississippi State to 0-2 on the young season, while Southern Miss continues to build momentum as one of the surprise teams in college baseball so far.

The details

Southern Miss jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, powered by a 3-run homer from Drey Barrett in the 1st inning. But Mississippi State battled back, scoring 3 runs in the 5th and taking a 6-5 lead in the 7th on a 2-run single by Reed Stallman. However, the Golden Eagles rallied in the 8th, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs on wild pitches to pull out the victory.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, March 4, 2026.
  • Southern Miss extended its winning streak to 11 games with the victory.

The players

Drey Barrett

A junior outfielder for Southern Miss who hit a 3-run home run in the 1st inning to give the Golden Eagles an early lead.

Reed Stallman

A senior first baseman for Mississippi State who drove in 3 runs with a single in the 7th inning to give the Bulldogs a short-lived lead.

Maddox Miller

A freshman pitcher for Mississippi State who took the mound in the 8th inning and surrendered the tying and go-ahead runs on wild pitches.

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What they’re saying

“We knew this was going to be a tough game against a great Mississippi State team, but our guys showed a lot of fight and resilience to come back and get the win.”

— Scott Berry, Head Coach, Southern Miss (cdispatch.com)

“It's a tough loss, but we'll learn from this and come back stronger. We had our chances, we just couldn't close it out in the end.”

— Chris Lemonis, Head Coach, Mississippi State (cdispatch.com)

What’s next

Mississippi State will look to bounce back this weekend when they host Lipscomb for a 3-game series starting on Friday at Dudy Noble Field.

The takeaway

This back-and-forth battle between two in-state rivals showcased the competitive nature of college baseball in Mississippi, with Southern Miss proving it can hang with one of the top programs in the country.