STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Samford University baseball team dropped a 6-1 decision at Mississippi State Tuesday evening at Dudy-Noble Field.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 13-12 on the season. Mississippi State improved its record to 16-9 with the win.
 
For Samford in the loss, Jake Souders drove in the team's lone run. Jeffrey Ince, Jackson Harris, Trey Higgins, Hayden Perry and Michael Gupton had one hit each for the Bulldogs.
 
Brooks Rice (0-2) pitched 3.2 innings, giving up four runs, just three earned, on four hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford. John Malone, Austin Tommasini and Trey Sanders also saw time on the mound for Samford.
 
For Mississippi State, Gatlin Sanders went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Hunter Hines and Joe Powell had a hit and two RBI each. Kevin Mannell (2-0) pitched 2.1 innings in relief, giving up one run on two hits to earn the win on the mound for Mississippi State.
 
After Mississippi State took the lead with a run in the second inning, Samford came back with a run in the third inning to tie the score. Harris scored on a ground out by Souders to knot the score at 1-1.
 
Mississippi State plated three runs in the fourth inning to push its lead to 4-1. Powell drove in two runs and Dylan Cupp later scored on a wild pitch for a three-run MSU lead.
 
The home Bulldogs added two final runs in the seventh inning to make the final score 6-1. Hines doubled to right-center field to drive in the final two runs of the game.
 
Next up, Samford will play host to Creighton for a three-game series this weekend. The teams are scheduled to play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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