Home Runs Lift Tigers Past State 7-3
April 13, 2003 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- No. 5 Auburn plated six runs on a pair of home runs Sunday afternoon, botching a series-clinching 7-3 win over No. 6 Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field. The win moved the Tigers (29-8, 11-4) into second place percentage points behind LSU 24-11-1, 11-3-1), while the Bulldogs (25-7-1, 10-4) slipped into third place a half-game back at the midpoint of the 2003 SEC season.
Mississippi State owned an early lead in the game. Steve Gendron opened a three-hit performance with a two-out single in the first. Gendron stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead when Matthew Brinson doubled into the left field corner.
That lead held up until the fourth inning when Josh Bell doubled and Chuck Jeroloman followed with a two-run blast off MSU starter Todd Nicholas (3-1). Javon Moran and Tug Hulett chased Nicholas from the game with back-to-back singles to open the fifth inning, and relief pitcher Brooks Dunn loaded the bases when he struck Bobby Huddleston with a pitch. Scott Schade drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Karl Amonite walked, loading the bases again and ending Dunn's appearance in the game. Josh Bell then greeted the Bulldogs' third pitcher in the inning, Saunders Ramsey, with a career-first grand slam that staked Auburn starter Colby Paxton (4-1) to a 7-1 lead.
The Bulldogs, who out-hit the Tigers 14-10 and stranded 11 base runners, were limited to two runs the remainder of the game and only one off Auburn relief pitchers Chris Dennis, Cory Dueitt and Steve Register.
Brent Lewis, who went 3-for-4, doubled and scored on a single by Thomas Berkery in the sixth. Lewis opened the eighth with a single and later scored on a single by Joseph Hunter.
Paxton, backed by solid defensive play and a pair of inning-ending double plays, gave up only two runs on 10 hits. Register, who retired all five batters he faced after entering the game in the eighth, picked up his SEC-leading 12th save.
Bulldog starter Todd Nicholas, charged with four runs on six hits in four innings of mound work, took the loss.
The weekend series had a paid attendance of 24,921, including Saturday's season-best 11,763 for Saturday's game.
Mississippi State concludes a season-longest seven-game homestand this week, hosting Mississippi Valley State Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Samford Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
AUBURN 7, MISSISSIPPI STATE 3
AUB 009 250 000 --- 7-10-0 MSU 100 001 010 --- 3-14-0
WP ---.Colby Paxton (4-1). LP --- Todd Nicholas (3-1). SV --- Steven Register (12). HR --- AUB-Chuck Jeroloman (2), Josh Bell (5). T --- 2:50. ATT --- 6,882 (paid), 5,804 (actual). Three-game series attendance total --- 24,921 (paid), 23,155 (actual).
Todd Nicholas, Brooks Dunn (5) and Craig Tatum. Colby Paxton, Chris Dennis (6), Cory Dueitt (8), Steve Register (8) and Josh Bell.
