Friday Night Round-Up
Wild weather, wild comebacks, and one of the performances of the year in the SEC
What a night. Between the weather chaos in Missouri, a five-run eighth inning in Gainesville, and what Tegan Kuhns did to a Texas lineup full of future big leaguers, Friday gave us everything.
Let’s get into it.
Vanderbilt at Missouri — Suspended, Tied 7-7
This one is going to be talked about for a while, and if you haven’t seen the weather video circulating on social media, go find it right now. Absolute chaos.
Here’s where things stand: the game is tied 7-7, suspended in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and two Vanderbilt runners on base. It’ll be resumed Saturday at 4:00 PM CT, with the regularly scheduled game two following 45 minutes after.
Missouri had trailed 6-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth and somehow rallied for six runs to take a 7-6 lead. Then Vanderbilt came back to tie it on a two-out RBI ground rule double that put runners at second and third — and that’s when the weather shut everything down.
Josh McDevitt went five innings for Missouri, allowing four runs on five hits with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts. He gave them a chance, but Vanderbilt controlled most of this game before Missouri’s stunning eight-inning rally flipped the script completely.
We’ll see how Saturday plays out, but this one is wide open.
#17 Arkansas 12, #24 Oklahoma 2
Arkansas made a statement.
Hunter Dietz did his thing. Seven innings, one earned run, seven strikeouts. He just keeps adding to what’s already been an outstanding season, and his draft stock keeps climbing with every start.
Camden Kozeal provided the offensive fireworks for Arkansas, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. The Razorbacks jumped on Oklahoma early and never looked back in a dominant wire-to-wire win.
#19 Alabama 8, South Carolina 3
Alabama took care of business and made it look comfortable.
They jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, South Carolina chipped away, but Alabama pulled away again late and controlled the outcome throughout. Tyler Fay was outstanding — seven innings, one earned run, ten strikeouts, improving to 8-3 on the year. That’s the version of Fay that makes Alabama really dangerous down the stretch.
Luke Vaughn went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs to pace the offense. Alabama looks like a team that knows exactly what they’re doing right now.
#5 Georgia 11, LSU 8
LSU had Georgia on the ropes early, and it still wasn’t enough.
Omar Serna hit a home run in the first inning, and LSU jumped out to a 6-2 lead after a four-run third and knocked Joey Volchko out of the game early. Despite William Schmidt struggling with command again, for a while it looked like LSU’s young core was going to pull off something special.
But Georgia’s offense is just too potent. They chipped away, kept the pressure on, and ultimately wore out LSU’s pitching staff. Justin Byrd came in out of the bullpen and threw three innings to get the win. Trey Phelps went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Georgia offense.
LSU showed fight. Georgia showed why they’re the class of the conference.
Tennessee 5, #4 Texas 1
Stop everything.
Tegan Kuhns just had one of the best pitching performances of the entire season in the SEC. Seven shutout innings against a Texas lineup loaded with future big leaguers. Kuhns had 15 strikeouts, one walk, and only four hits allowed.
That’s not just a great start — that’s a statement. Kuhns showed exactly who he is and what this Tennessee staff is capable of when he’s at his best. Texas managed only a solo home run from Aiden Robbins for their lone run of the night. Blake Grimmer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to help Tennessee’s offense support him.
A career performance — remember this one.
#20 Ole Miss 5, #9 Texas A&M 3
Ole Miss got ahead early, and Hunter Elliott controlled the game.
Elliot went six strong innings, allowing only one earned run, and punched 11. That’s the version of Elliott that makes this staff genuinely elite, and he showed up on the biggest stage of the year for Ole Miss. If he pitches like that going forward, the conversation around their rotation looks so different.
Dom Decker went 2-for-4 with an RBI to support the offense. Ole Miss takes game one and puts themselves in a great position to win the series with Cade Townsend on the mound.
#11 Mississippi State 10, #6 Auburn 3 — Game 1 (Thursday)
Mississippi State came out swinging in the series opener.
Tomas Valincius was dominant — 6 2/3 innings, three earned runs, thirteen strikeouts. The Bulldogs banged out sixteen hits and controlled Auburn from start to finish. A statement game one for Mississippi State at home.
#6 Auburn 5, #11 Mississippi State 4 — Game 2 (Friday)
Auburn bounced back exactly the way you’d expect a team with their character to bounce back.
They led 2-0 for most of the game, pushed it to 4-0, gave two back in the bottom of the fifth, then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to win it 5-4. Jake Sanders got the win out of the bullpen — 4 1/3 innings, two earned runs, four strikeouts. He has become such a reliable weapon for this Auburn staff and provides length and flexibility for the weekend.
Ace Reese went 4-for-5 with an RBI for Mississippi State in a losing effort. The series is knotted at one game apiece heading into Saturday, and Ryan McPherson is back from injury to start for the Bulldogs today.
#21 Florida 7, Kentucky 6
This one had everything.
Florida trailed 6-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Six to one. And then they did this.
Brandon Lawson delivered a two-out, three-run double in the eighth to ignite the rally, and Florida scored five runs to tie it at six. Then in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the bases loaded, Kyle Jones found a hole through the left side of the infield for his first career walk-off single to complete one of the more stunning comebacks you’ll see this year.
Aidan King allowed a season-high five earned runs, but he battled through and finished 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. That’s a gutty performance — he gave Florida a chance to save their bullpen, which proved huge when the comeback was on.
Josh Rittenour got the win in relief.
Florida finds a way. They always seem to find a way.
Saturday Slate
A massive day of baseball ahead. Auburn and Mississippi State play their rubber game, Vanderbilt and Missouri resume their suspended game at 4:00 PM CT before playing game two and every other series has game two on the docket with a ton at stake.
Don’t look away.