STARKVILLE, Miss. (Interstat) — Noah Sullivan’s four-hit, four-RBI performance, highlighted by a decisive three-run homer, powered Mississippi State to a 9-4 victory over Lipscomb on Friday night at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium.

The Bulldogs (13-2) broke open a tight game with a six-run second inning, capitalizing on Lipscomb miscues to seize control. The Bisons (6-7) saw their early four-run lead evaporate in the frame.

Lipscomb struck first in the third inning. After a scoreless opening two frames, Brayden Miller doubled and scored on a ground-rule double by Hunter Miles. Alex Stelogeannis followed with an RBI single to give the Bisons a short-lived advantage.

Mississippi State’s response in the bottom of the second was immediate and explosive. After a leadoff strikeout, Dylan Woodson walked ahead of Jacob Parker’s two-run homer to right-center, cutting the deficit in half. The inning continued as the Bulldogs exploited a dropped foul ball error and a series of walks to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed one run to score, setting the stage for Sullivan. The first baseman launched a three-run shot to left-center, clearing the bases and giving Mississippi State a 6-4 lead. Logan Frei later tripled in the inning, but was stranded.

The most important sequence of the game was that bottom of the second, where Mississippi State sent 11 men to the plate. The inning was extended by the defensive error, and Sullivan’s homer transformed a one-run deficit into a multi-run lead from which Lipscomb never recovered.

Sullivan added an RBI single in the sixth and a double in the eighth, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. He scored four times.

Mississippi State’s bullpen combination of Tyler Pitzer and Jack Gleason silenced the Bisons over the final four innings. Pitzer worked two perfect frames, striking out four. Gleason allowed a single in the ninth but closed the door for the Bulldogs.

Lipscomb’s Keaton Mahan hit a solo homer in the seventh inning for the Bisons’ final run. They added an unearned run in the eighth after Stelogeannis scored on a two-base fielding error by the Mississippi State left fielder.

Jace Trautner provided a bright spot for Lipscomb in relief, throwing 2 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts after entering in the third. Starter Tomas Valincius earned the win for Mississippi State, going four innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out six.

Mississippi State out-hit Lipscomb 11-9. The Bulldogs drew nine walks and benefited from two Lipscomb errors.

The victory extends Mississippi State’s strong early-season form, while Lipscomb has now dropped the first two games of this weekend series. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday afternoon.

Statistical projections from Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 7-5 Mississippi State victory, with the Bulldogs holding an 82.6% win probability based on its ELO rating system.