Mississippi State had a real chance to turn relieve a lot of stress and pressure Saturday but couldn’t quite finish the job Friday night.After putting up 18 runs in the opener and taking a big step toward hosting, No. 13 Mississippi State fell 11-9 to No. 10 Texas A&M in another game that felt like it might last forever.Just like Friday, the Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. And just like Friday, the Bulldogs kept punching back. The Bulldogs tied it, took the lead, gave it back, tied it again, and kept trying to trade blows in a ballpark where every fly ball has a chance. “It's like a UFC fight. Both teams throwing punches at each other,” Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor said. “They just had a couple more punches there in the back half of the game.:Eventually, the offense finally ran out of steam, and Texas A&M reliever Clayton Freshcorn had a lot to do with that. He threw three scoreless innings to slam the door.Mississippi State’s designated hitter Noah Sullivan did everything he could to keep his team in it. Three hits, three RBIs, and two home runs gave him his ninth and tenth of the year. He’s usually known more for the mustache than the power, but he put a couple of big swings on balls tonight to remind everyone the facial hair isn’t his best attribute."The starter was throwing a lot of change ups so I just sat on one and got a good swing on it and put it in the air," Sullivan said. "On the second one, he threw a fastball in the dirt and then put one over the middle of the plate, and good things happened."3️⃣8️⃣8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/8BevFzOLyG— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 16, 2026Pitching hasn’t exactly been the story of this series, and the conditions aren’t helping. The wind has been blowing straight out since the moment the teams showed up in College Station, and it hasn’t stopped. Every ball in the air feels like a problem, and that won’t change Saturday.The Bulldogs came here needing at least one win to feel good about hosting a NCAA Regional, and they already have that. But this team wants more. Mississippi State gets one more shot at 11 a.m., with a chance to take a third SEC road series, lock down the 40th win of the season, and strengthen its hosting case heading into the final week.4️⃣0️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/UzF2CXb4jR— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 16, 2026And the Bulldogs will be sending Ryan McPherson to the mound to start Saturday’s rubber match. “The plan is for Ryan to start tomorrow,” O’Connors said after Friday’s game. “We'll go at them with everything we have. We still have a number of guys that are ready to go. Excited to see Ryan out there in this second start coming back from injury. I know he'll get us off to a good start.”Pher on the hill pic.twitter.com/0iYtoIFLVL— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 16, 2026Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow