PEARL, Miss. — The Mississippi State University baseball team came alive in the eighth inning as the Diamond Dawgs soared to a 10-9 victory over the No. 25 University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Trustmark Park Tuesday night.

From the bottom of the lineup to the top, everybody produced for the Bulldogs in the eighth inning. MSU rallied when it mattered most, scoring four detrimental runs to take a one-run lead heading into the top of the ninth. 
Following the huge win, third baseman Slate Alford discussed his thoughts at the plate before his game-tying RBI single.
“I knew he [USM pitcher JB Middleton] had a strong arm, so I knew I had to be short,” Alford said. “I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and the good Lord blessed me.”
Although the Diamond Dawgs hitting gave them the lead, the outstanding performance from pitcher Nate Dohm in the last two innings allowed MSU to close out the game and record a momentum-building win against a talented USM team.
Dohm recorded four strikeouts in two innings pitched and only allowed one unearned run. Three of the nine runs USM scored were unearned, due to errors from the MSU defense.
During the postgame presser, Dohm spoke about how it felt to be in the relief role in the top of the ninth inning and secure the win for MSU.
“I mean, you can’t ask for anything else,” Dohm said. “That’s the most exciting situation; you’re amped up. It’s really just all about calming yourself down. I kind of went like this [takes a deep breath], and Lane [Forsythe] was out there to help me stay calm, and we were just focused on executing.”
There’s still much room to grow for the Diamond Dawgs, and there are some areas, specifically fielding, that MSU needs to improve on as they get closer to Southeastern Conference play.
Another positive to take away from the impressive win in Pearl, Mississippi, is the outstanding showing from the Bulldog faithful. The Dude Effect was evident, as the MSU fans roared in the last two innings of the game.
Alford discussed the emotions that he felt with the Bulldog fans in attendance roaring in hopes of pulling off the victory.
“[It was] electric. You heard the crowd start chanting that maroon and white, and we knew we had to come through right there,” Alford said.
Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis discussed how important the road win against No. 25 USM is moving forward into a challenging weekend tournament.
“It’s huge: it gives us some momentum going into the weekend,” coach Lemonis said. “We got a really tough matchup on Friday night. They got a really good arm throwing against us so it gives us some momentum and makes for a good feel in the ball club and a good trip home.”
The victory over No. 25 Southern Miss bumps MSU’s record up to 6-3 ahead of the Frisco College Baseball Classic this Friday in what will be a huge test for the Diamond Dawgs. MSU will face the likes of Ohio State, Oklahoma and California in Frisco, Texas.
MSU opens the Frisco College Baseball Classic Friday at 6 p.m. against the Buckeyes. The Diamond Dawgs then play the Sooners at 1 p.m. Saturday, before ending the tournament against the Golden Bears at 11 a.m. Sunday. Broadcast information for those games are not yet available.