Walk-Off By Luke Alexander Gives Maroon Game 1 Victory
October 15, 2015 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - If Game 1 is any indication, the 2015 Mississippi State Bulldog World Series is going to be a classic.
Freshman infielder Luke Alexander's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh scored fellow freshman Delvin Zinn to give Maroon a dramatic 4-3 walk-off win against Gray Wednesday night at Dudy Noble Field. The first game in the best-of-five series marked the Bulldogs' 16th scrimmage overall this fall.
Zinn, a middle infielder from Pontotoc, Mississippi, finished 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Alexander went 1 for 3 with the game-winning RBI and a run.
Junior right-handed pitcher Zac Houston earned the win for Maroon with 1 1/3 innings of relief. Redshirt freshman lefty Andrew Mahoney suffered the loss for Gray with 1 1/3 innings pitched.
For Gray, junior catcher Jack Kruger led the way at the plate with a 3 for 3 outing and one RBI, while redshirt junior outfielder Jacob Robson went 2 for 3 with two runs and a walk.
Robson started the scoring in the first by scoring on a sacrifice fly courtesy of junior first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Gray left the bases loaded however and committed an error on defense in the bottom of the opening stanza to give the game a 1-1 score.
Maroon took its first lead of the game in the fourth when freshman catcher Elih Marrero drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third on the same play and scored on an RBI ground out by senior infielder Matt Spruill. The victors extended their lead in the fifth when Zinn led off with a double, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a botched pickoff attempt.
Down 3-1 in the sixth, Gray tied the game with an RBI double by Kruger in the sixth and an RBI two-bagger by sophomore infielder Ryan Gridley in the seventh.
Tied at three with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Zinn pulled a double to left. Mahoney was then replaced on the mound by freshman righty Ryan Cyr, who walked senior outfielder Mike Smith. On the same pitch Smith walked on, Zinn sprinted to third on a passed ball. The next batter was Alexander, who drove a Cyr offering to deep center, allowing Zinn to tag from third and score easily to end the game.
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2015 Mississippi State Fall Scrimmage Schedule
Scrimmage 1 - Gray 3, Maroon 1 (Reynolds 3 RBIs, Rooker HR)
Scrimmage 2 – Maroon 4, Gray 3 (Hudson 1 ER in 3.0 IP, Rooker 2 for 3 with 2 R)
Scrimmage 3 – Maroon 9, Gray 6 (HR by Barfield and Rooker)
Scrimmage 4 – Gray 8, Maroon 5 (James 1 ER in 3.0 IP, HR by Stovall)
Scrimmage 5 – Maroon 5, Gray 1 (Small/Hughes: 9 K in 7 IP, 1 ER)
Scrimmage 6 – Maroon 6, Gray 2 (HR by Alexander and Gordon)
Scrimmage 7 – Gray 3, Maroon 2 (Tatum 4 IP, 0 ER; M. Smith 3 for 3, 3SB)
Scrimmage 8 – Maroon 4, Gray 3 (Robson 2 for 3, 2 2B; Kruger HR)
Scrimmage 9 – Maroon 11, Gray 3 (Stovall 3 for 3, Breaux 3 IP, 0 ER)
Scrimmage 10 – Gray 3, Maroon 0 (D. Brown 5 K in 3 IP, 0 ER)
Scrimmage 11 – Gray 6, Maroon 5 (Sexton 4 IP, 4 K, 0 ER)
Scrimmage 12 – Gray 4, Maroon 2 (Padgett 3 IP, 0 ER)
Scrimmage 13 – Gray 6, Maroon 3 (Lowe 3 for 3, 2 Doubles)
Scrimmage 14 – Gray 2, Maroon 0 (Barfield HR, D. Brown 5 K in 3 Shutout IP)
Scrimmage 15 – Maroon 6, Gray 2 (Rooker Walk-Off Grand Slam)
Scrimmage 16 – Maroon 4, Gray 3 (Zinn 2 for 3, 2 2B, Alexander Walk-Off)
Scrimmage 17 – Friday, Oct. 16 - 4 p.m.
Scrimmage 18 – Saturday, Oct. 17 - 3 p.m.
Scrimmage 19 – Sunday, Oct. 18 - 1 p.m.
Scrimmage 20 – Tuesday, Oct. 20 - 5 p.m.
NOTES: All dates are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes and game times will be announced on Twitter at @HailStateBB. Admission to all scrimmages is free and open to the public.
