Tatum Doubles In Winning Run In 6-5 Bulldog Win
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Catcher Craig Tatum delivered a game-winning double in the ninth inning Tuesday night leading Mississippi State (15-8) to a 6-5 win over the UAB Blazers (14-10) at Dudy Noble Field.
Freshman second baseman Jeffrey Rea singled up the middle to start the MSU ninth inning. Steve Gendron followed with a groundout on a hit-and-run, moving Rea to second base. Tatum then lined a 2-0 pitch to the right center field gap, sending Rea home with the winning run.
"I figured I needed to get that hit or we would have been out there all night," Tatum said. "Going hitless would have made for a real long day (Wednesday). So, I'm glad I was able to get that hit. We did a real good job of getting timely hits in the game."
Todd Doolittle (1-0) sparkled in relief of starter Eric Ebers for the Bulldogs. The former Meridian Community College standout faced the minimum 12 batters in four innings of work. Ebers allowed nine hits and five runs (all earned) in five-plus innings of work. Ebers struck out four and walked one.
Doolittle got a groundball doubleplay and groundout to work his way out of the sixth inning and then recorded eight consecutive strikeouts before back-to-back Bulldog fielding errors made for a tough spot in the UAB ninth inning.
On the second error, MSU first baseman Brad Jones retrieved an errant throw and fired a perfect strike to Tatum to nail UAB base runner Zac Ward at the plate.
"Doolittle was just outstanding," MSU coach Ron Polk said. "He was really in a zone. We've been needing a lift from another relief pitcher. His pitching and the play by Brad Jones won the game for us."
The Bulldogs built an early 3-0 lead. Brad Corley and Joseph Hunter had RBI singles off UAB freshman starter Grant Addison in the first inning. Rea reached on an error and scored a run in the MSU second inning. A follow-up hit by Steve Gendron chased Addison in that frame.
UAB eventually threw seven pitchers with Matt Fowles (0-2) working only the ninth inning and taking the loss.
The Blazers touched Ebers for back-to-back home run balls by Daniel Hill and Nathan McCorkle in the fourth inning. An RBI single by Josh Miljavec tied the game at 3-3 an inning later.
State grabbed the lead right back at 4-3 on an unearned run in the fifth inning. RBI singles by Matt Womble and Eugene Rodriguez gave UAB its last lead at 5-4 and also chased Ebers.
The Blazers were held hitless and scoreless the rest of the way.
"I felt really good pitching tonight," Doolittle said. "I got into a zone. I had done that (eight straight strikeouts) in high school and junior college. But I had not done there up here as a Bulldog. It felt good to have that type of outing."
Brad Corley's RBI single tied the game 5-5 in the MSU seventh inning and set the stage for Tatum's heroics two innings later.
The Bulldogs finished with 13 hits. Corley had three hits and two RBIs. Rea, Gendron, Hunter and Tyler Scarbrough had multiple hits for the Bulldogs. Gendron has now hit safely in 14 straight games.
Miljavec and Jeremy Moran each had two of UAB's nine hits in the contest.
Mississippi State closes out its 21-game March schedule Wednesday entertaining UL-Monroe at 6:30 p.m. Freshman Josh Johnson (2-1, 3.57) is due to start for the Bulldogs.
| MISSISSIPPI STATE 6, UAB 5 | |||||||
| UAB | 000 | 212 | 000 | - | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| MSU | 210 | 010 | 101 | - | 6 | 13 | 2 |
WP-Doolittle (1-0). LP-Fowles (0-2). 2B-Stucky, Tatum, Scarbrough. HR-Hill (3), McCorkle (4).
