Bulldogs Move To 3-0 With Two Wins Saturday

Saturday, February 19

Starkville

11:30 AM

Mississippi State

2-0

Lamar

0-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Lamar University	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Mississippi State	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	0

State's Daryl Norris Tabbed SEC Freshman Of The Week

Bulldogs Move To 3-0 With Two Wins Saturday

February 19, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State racked up a season-best 17 hits as the Bulldogs defeated Akron 10-1 in a college baseball game played Saturday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.

The Diamond Dawgs actually won both games played on campus Saturday. Behind a sparkling pitching debut from Chris Stratton, the Bulldogs beat Lamar 2-0 in the opening game. MSU pitching has allowed one run in 27 innings, while winning the first three games on its 2011 slate.

“I was really happy with our arms today,” MSU head coach John Cohen said. “It is hard to play 18 innings with a split between the games. It's good to start like this but everyone in the league does it. Southeastern Conference games will be the measuring stick for this team.”

A year ago, Stratton proved he could pitch well both in and out of conference play. The sophomore right-hander began his second season with a six-inning, 10-strikeout performance. Stratton (1-0) did throw 105 pitches in six innings, scattering six hits but only walking one.

Caleb Reed threw the final three innings to earn a save and complete the shutout in the opener. Coupled with Friday's season-opening 11-0 win over Akron, It was the first time MSU has had back-to-back shutouts since accomplishing that feat against Ole Miss in 2003.

The Bulldogs grabbed a 1-0 lead, thanks to a Nick Vickerson RBI-double in the third inning. An RBI-double by Jarrod Parks closed the scoring in the fifth inning.

Stratton worked around his tightest spot in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, the Cardinals did not tally as Stratton recorded back-to-back strikeouts to escape that jam.

The Bulldogs finished with seven hits. Parks and Sam Frost had multiple hits. The Cardinals (0-2) finished with eight hits. Aaron Buchanan, Wade Mathis and Clayton Farhat each had multiple hits for Lamar. Blake Ford (0-1) worked five innings and took the loss.

In game two, the Bulldogs removed all doubt early. Many of the spectators who saw MSU knock off arch-rival Ole Miss in basketball, walked across the way to see the Maroon and White score twice in the first inning and add four more scores in the second inning.

Vickerson and Brent Brownlee began the first inning with back-to-back hits. A groundout scored Vickerson, while Brownlee trotted home on an RBI-single by Daryl Norris.

The lead grew to 6-0 on a four-run, four-hit second inning. C.T. Bradford singled and Taylor Stark drew a one-out walk. Vickerson had an RBI-single, while Brownlee brought Stark home with a sacrifice fly. An RBI-single by Parks and RBI-double by Norris capped that big inning.

Such early offense would be enough for the pitching trio of Chad Girodo, Luis Pollorena and Hunter Renfroe. Pollorena (1-0) threw 3.1 innings of relief in his Maroon and White debut, garnering the win.

Girodo was touched for the first run allowed by MSU and chased in the fifth inning. The sophomore left-hander lasted 4.2 innings, allowing four hits with three strikeouts. Renfroe pitched a perfect ninth inning.

All told, MSU pitching has struck out 28 batters over the first 27 innings of work.

Norris paced the MSU offensive attack with three hits and five RBIs, including a bases-clearing triple in a four-run sixth inning. Brownlee and Cody Freeman also had three hits apiece. Vickerson and Bradford had multiple hits.

Akron (1-2) finished with four hits, including a double by Jason Corzine. Starting pitcher Zach Yike (0-1) took the loss.

The weekend play concludes with a pair of games tomorrow. Lamar and Akron play at 10 a.m., while MSU and Lamar meet again at 2:30 p.m.