No. 3 MSU Splits Doubleheader At No. 5 Arkansas

Saturday, March 14

Fayetteville, Ark.

1 p.m.

Mississippi State

16-3, 1-1

Arkansas

13-6, 1-1

Mississippi State

Arkansas

Photo by: Mario Terrana Photography

No. 3 MSU Splits Doubleheader At No. 5 Arkansas

March 14, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Third-ranked Mississippi State split a Saturday doubleheader with No. 5 Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium, winning the opener before dropping the nightcap as the Razorbacks secured the weekend SEC series.

The Diamond Dawgs opened the day with a 7-2 victory behind a dominant pitching performance and a big swing from Ace Reese, but Arkansas responded with a 7-3 win in Game 2 to take two of three in the series.

Mississippi State (16-4, 1-2 SEC) struck first in the opener when Reese launched a three-run homer to left in the third inning, scoring Aidan Teel and Bryce Chance to give MSU a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs extended the advantage in the fifth. Chance singled and Teel followed with a hit before Reese delivered again, ripping a two-run double to right-center to make it 5-0.

State added another run in the sixth when Ryder Woodson singled and later scored on Kevin Milewski's RBI single to left. The Diamond Dawgs pushed the lead to 7-0 in the eighth after Reed Stallman singled, stole second and eventually came home on a Drew Wyers groundout.

That was more than enough support for starter Tomas Valincius, who turned in one of his best outings of the season. The left-hander worked seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven.

Arkansas didn't score until the eighth, when TJ Pompey tripled and Nolan Souza followed with an RBI single before Ryder Helfrick added a run-scoring double. But the Bulldogs' early offensive surge had already secured the win.

Reese finished with two hits and five RBIs to lead MSU's offense.

The nightcap started just as well for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs erupted for three runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Drew Wyers, Bryce Chance and Teel to grab a 3-0 lead.

Arkansas chipped away in the third, scoring twice after a wild pitch and passed ball allowed a pair of runs to cross the plate. The Razorbacks then tied it in the fifth when Helfrick singled home Nolan Souza.

The game remained tight until the eighth, when Arkansas broke through against the State bullpen. Maika Niu delivered an RBI single before Pompey added another run-scoring hit. A fielding error and bases-loaded walk allowed two more runs to score, turning the close contest into a 7-3 Razorback advantage.

Despite the split Saturday, Arkansas (14-6, 2-1 SEC) claimed the series after taking the opener 5-4 on Friday.

The Bulldogs return home for an instate matchup with Jackson State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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