STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State erupted for 20 hits and seven home runs Sunday night, overwhelming Louisiana 19-5 at Dudy Noble Field to eliminate the Ragin' Cajuns from the NCAA Starkville Regional.
The Bulldogs scored in seven of nine innings and built an early lead they never relinquished.
Mississippi State wasted little time, getting solo home runs from Gehrig Frei and Jacob Parker in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Ryder Woodson added a solo shot in the second to make it 3-0 before Louisiana answered in the third when Noah Lewis homered to left field.
The Bulldogs broke the game open in the fourth. Kevin Milewski delivered an RBI single, Frei added a run-scoring hit and Ace Reese launched a two-run homer as Mississippi State scored four runs to stretch the lead to 7-1.
Mississippi State added another run in the fifth before Louisiana chipped away. Maddox Mandino scored on a stolen-base attempt in the fifth, and Colt Brown blasted a solo home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-3.
Any hopes of a Cajuns comeback disappeared in the seventh when the Bulldogs plated five runs. Parker and Vytas Valincius each drove in runs with doubles before Woodson crushed a two-run homer to cap the inning and extend the lead to 13-3.
Louisiana answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on RBI singles from Blaze Rodriguez and Lee Amedee, but Mississippi State continued its offensive barrage. Parker hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and Valincius launched a grand slam in the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Parker finished 4-for-4 with five runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs. Woodson went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs, while Valincius drove in five runs, including the ninth-inning grand slam. Frei added four hits and two RBIs as Mississippi State went 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
Louisiana collected 13 hits in the loss. Lewis went 3-for-4 with a home run and RBI, Markle recorded three hits, and Rodriguez finished with two hits and an RBI. Brown also homered for the Cajuns.
The Cajuns close their 2026 campaign with a 41-25 record.
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