No. 4 MSU Falls To Top-Ranked UCLA In 10 innings

Sunday, March 1

Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Field)

2:30 p.m.

Mississippi State

11-1

UCLA

9-2

UCLA

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mario Terrana Photography

No. 4 MSU Falls To Top-Ranked UCLA In 10 innings

March 01, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Fourth-ranked Mississippi State went toe-to-toe with No. 1 UCLA for 10 innings Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field, but the Diamond Dawgs came up just short in an 8-7 thriller at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series.

MSU (11-1) pounded out 14 hits and erased a had a 5-3 lead with two outs in the top of the ninth against the top-ranked Bruins (9-2) only to see UCLA tie things up with a two-run homer. The Bruins pushed across three runs in the top of the 10th and were able to hold off a two-run rally by the Bulldogs in the bottom half to prevail.

The Bruins struck first in the third when Will Gasparino launched a two-run homer to left, scoring Cashel Dugger for a 2-0 lead.

UCLA added another run in the fourth on Dugger's RBI single to make it 3-0.

State answered emphatically in the bottom of the fourth. After Ace Reese worked a walk, Reed Stallman crushed a two-run homer to right field that cut the deficit to one. Moments later, Ryder Woodson doubled to left center to plate Gehrig Frei and give Mississippi State a 3-3 tie before the inning ended.

The Bulldogs kept chipping away. In the seventh, Woodson doubled to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Jacob Parker lifted a sacrifice fly to center to put State out in front.

An inning later, Noah Sullivan blasted a solo homer to left, pulling MSU to go up 5-3 and ignited the pro-Mississippi State crowd in Arlington.

Sullivan finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, while Stallman delivered a monster day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs.

Down to its final out, UCLA managed to tie things up Roch Cholowsky belted a two-run homer to left center.

The Diamond Dawgs seemingly had the game won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Raymond led off with a single and Gatlin Sanders came in to run for him at first. With Sanders in motion, Woodson ripped a pitch into right-center that would've scored Sanders standing up had it not hopped over the wall and into the Mississippi State bullpen.

Woodson's ground-rule double sent Sanders back to third. Bryce Chance was intentionally later walked to load the bases with one out but the Bulldogs were unable to seal the victory.

In the 10th, UCLA capitalized on a wild pitch and a two-run triple from Aidan Espinoza to seize an 8-5 advantage.

To its credit, MSU refused to fold. Sullivan doubled to open the bottom of the 10th, and Stallman followed by hammering his second homer to right center to pull the Bulldogs within 8-7.

Woodson later singled to keep hope alive, but the Bruins recorded the final out to escape.

Woodson led the way for State with a 4-for-5 performance and an RBI, while Sullivan and Stallman combined for four extra-base hits.

MSU starter Duke Stone allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings before turning it over to a bullpen that largely contained the nation's top-ranked lineup until late. Ben Davis (0-1) took the loss, while Easton Hawk earned the win for UCLA in relief.

The Diamond Dawgs head to Hattiesburg to take on No. 12 Southern Miss at 6 p.m. streaming on ESPN+.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.