STARKVILLE — For a couple of days, at least, Mississippi State was able to put its troubles and concerns aside.

Pitchers Karson Ligon and Stone Simmons combined on a one-hit shutout, Noah Sullivan went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, and Mississippi State won its first Southeastern Conference baseball series of the season by beating South Carolina 6-0 on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (19-13, 3-9 SEC) won the last two in the three-game series with the equally struggling Gamecocks (19-14, 2-10) to momentarily stabilize a season that was quickly spinning out of control.

A four-game swing through Alabama — a midweek contest in Birmingham against UAB on Tuesday, followed by a three-game SEC series at Alabama beginning Friday — is up next.

Mississippi State hit five home runs in an 11-4 win over South Carolina on Saturday, and then used another to jump start the offense on Sunday.

Sullivan led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a home run, and the Bulldogs batted around as they took a 5-0 lead. Gatlin Sanders and Dylan Cupp each hit RBI singles. Nolan Stevens had an RBI ground out and Reed Stallman hit a sacrifice fly.

Bryce Chance hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to make it 6-0. He also doubled and scored a run during the fourth-inning rally.

Second RBI double for Chance today 😤

📺: https://t.co/tUnRdMd4Xm #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/Xacs6c1NlN

— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) April 6, 2025

On the mound, Ligon turned in a stellar start. The senior right-hander allowed one hit and one walk in six scoreless innings, and finished with eight strikeouts.

It was Ligon’s longest and best outing in two seasons with Mississippi State, surpassing a midweek start against Queens on March 9 in which he threw five scoreless innings. Ligon was knocked out of the game after only two-thirds of an inning last Sunday in a 17-8 loss to LSU.

Simmons pitched the last three innings and allowed one hit — a two-out double by Blake Jackson in the ninth inning, on which Jackson was tagged after coming off the bag for the final out of the game. Simmons had five strikeouts.