Mississippi State University closed out the craziest and longest game of their season with a 13-inning 13-12 victory over the University of Alabama. 
The game was the backend of a Friday double header that ended on Saturday morning. MSU won game one by a score of 4-3, and both games MSU fought hard having to rally back in both games. Head coach Andy Cannizaro said the games were an example the team’s fight. 
“Just an incredible way to continue to fight and fight and fight,” Cannizaro said. “These victories today symbolize everything our team is about right now.”
The win completes MSU’s (28-14, 13-5 SEC) sweep over Alabama (15-25, 2-16 SEC). However, early on it looked to be a blowout in the Crimson Tide’s favor with Alabama jumping out to a 5-0 lead. MSU’s bats were seemingly asleep as they did not register a hit in the first five innings of the game. 
In the sixth inning, MSU came alive.  The Bulldogs scored nine runs as Alabama’s defense completely collapsed. It all started with a Hunter Stovall double to center field. Stovall scored the first run of the inning, as Jake Mangum drove him in with an RBI-single. The play began a run of MSU hitting where every batter in the line-up except Brent Rooker scored. 
“This game did not start very well, we were getting no hit into the sixth inning tonight,” Cannizaro said. “Then we go out there and put up a nine-spot, go up 9-5. Alabama kept battling back, they tied the game at nine and now we’re standing out here at 2:05 in the morning, just what a crazy night.”
As soon as MSU looked to be in control of the game, they quickly lost control of the game. Alabama scored two runs in both the seventh and the eighth innings, which tied the game at nine, where the score would stay until the eleventh inning. 
In the top of the eleventh inning, the Crimson Tide drove in three runs, but MSU quickly struck back in the bottom frame of the inning when Brent Rooker, Ryan Gridley and Hunter Vansau all hit singles, loading the bases. Things got a little crazy after that as Rooker scored on a wild pitch. Then Dustin Skelton drove in Gridley with a sacrifice fly. The Alabama pitcher threw another wild pitch and Vansau advanced to third. 
With two outs in the inning, MSU was down one run and had a runner on third base, Luke Alexander, who hit a home run earlier in the game, stepped up to the plate. However, instead of once again being the hero, he hit a fly ball straight into the air and the game looked to be over, an Alabama victory. However, Alabama pitcher Davis Vainer fell trying to field the routine pop-up and Vansau was able to score from third tying the game.
The game went two more innings before MSU was finally able to end it in the thirteenth. A walk-off Luke Alexander single brought in the Cody Brown, the winning run. 
The game was the longest MSU has played this season in terms of both time and innings.  The game started at 8:08 p.m. and lasted five hours and 38 minutes. 
Luke Alexander, who is a usual starter, has sat out the last two games. Cannizaro said he wanted Alexander, who has struggled of late, to sit so the game could slow down for him. Alexander did not even start this game, he pinch-hit for Harrison Bragg in the fifth inning, a move that would pay off as Alexander led the team on offense with two hits, three RBIs, and a home run. 
“Coach was giving me a break, wanted the game to slow down a little bit for me,” Alexander said after the game. “He said be ready, and I was sitting on the bench ready to go and I took advantage of my opportunities.”
A long game like this is especially hard on a team like MSU which currently has so many pitchers hurt. MSU used ten pitchers in this game, the last of which was not even a pitcher. It was outfielder Brant Blaylock, who pitched because MSU had run out of pitchers so they turned to Blaylock, a move that paid off. 
 Blaylock went 2.2 innings to close out the game, giving up only one hit and striking out two batters. Before this game Blaylock had only pitched one time, he threw one inning last Tuesday against South Alabama. The 20-year-old redshirt freshman said after the game on Tuesday, the last time he pitched was when he was 17.
The win gives MSU sole possession of first place in the SEC. They will be back in action on Tuesday in the Governor’s Cup against Ole Miss (23-15, 7-9 SEC). The game will take place in Pearl, Mississippi, and will not count towards the team’s SEC totals.