Hunter Homers In Ninth To Lift MSU Past Bama 11-9
May 21, 2004 | Baseball
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Mississippi State rallied for four runs in the ninth inning --- three on a a home run by Joseph Hunter as the Bulldogs 32-22, 11-17 SEC) registered an 11-9 win over Alabama (29-24, 10-18 SEC) in the opening game of their three-game series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win keeps alive Mississippi State's slim hopes of advancing to next week's SEC Baseball Tournament.
MSU had taken a 7-2 lead through six innings off Alabama ace lefty Wade LeBlanc. But Bama staged its own comeback with a four-run surge in the seventh to take an 8-7 lead.
State used a walk, a hit batsman, an infield groundout and two hits to earn its third league win in its last four outings. Tyler Scarbrough's fourth single of the night, a two-out liner to left off UA relief ace Taylor Tankersley (2-5), tied the score at 8-8. And with two runners on base Hunter followed with his second roundtripper of the season.
Saunders Ramsey (7-1), the fourth Bulldog pitcher in the game, picked up his third win in his last three relief appearances. Ramsey, called on to douse the Alabama rally in the seventh, retired two of three batters he faced in the inning but gave up a two-out, two-run double into the left field corner to David Ferazza and an 8-7 Alabama lead. He worked out of a jam in the eighth and in the ninth put the first two batters he faced on base with a single and a walk. But Alabama could manage but a single run on an Allen Rice sacrifice fly before striking out Emel Salem to end the game.
State jumped on LeBlanc to a pair of runs in the first and second innings. Brad Jones' eighth home run of the season plated two runs in the first and in the second Jeffrey Rea lashed a run-scoring double and Steve Gendron followed with the first of his two sacrifice fly balls to right field.
MSU starter Alan Johnson blanked Bama for the first three innings, then gave up single runs in the fourth and fifth. Evan Bush plated Alabama's first run with a lead-off home run to right in the fourth, and Salem's pinch-hit double down the left field line cut the MSU lead to 4-2. Johnson was charged with four runs (three earned) on eight hits during his 5-2/3 innings start.
State answered with three runs in the sixth with consecutive singles Scarbrough, Hunter, Butts and Rea, a Gendron sacrifice fly, and a run-scoring two-out hit by Brad Corley. LeBlanc ended the inning and his six-inning stint with a strikeout, his seventh of the game. The freshman southpaw gave up a season-high seven runs on a season-high 11 hits.
Michael McCallister trimmed the MSU lead to 7-4 with a two-run blast in the six.th, and the Tide took its first lead of the game with a four-run, four-hit burst in the seventh. The first two runs in the inning scored on wild pitches by Jamie Gant, who replaced relief man Brett Cleveland in the seventh.
Seth Johnson followed LeBlanc on the hill, retiring six of the seven batters in the seventh and eighth innings. In the ninth he walked Corley to open the frame, and was promptly replaced by Tankersley. Tankersley struck Brad Jones with a pitch. Corley was later thrown out at the plate after trying to score on Craig Tatum's grounder to second base. Thomas Berkery was robbed of an extra-base hit on a dandy diving catch by Mark Haske. Down to its final out, Mississippi State tied the game on Scarbrough's single to left, and Hunter followed with his game-winning home run.
Ramsey worked 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. He earned both Bulldog wins in relief last weekend against No. 11 Arkansas.
Both teams totaled 14 hits. Scarbrough led MSU with a career-best 4-for-5 plate performance. Catcher David Ferazza led Alabama with three hits.
The series continues Saturday at 4 p.m. State senior Jeff Lacher (3-6, 4.46) will face Alabama junior righty Andrew Walker (4-0, 3.17).
| MISSISSIPPI STATE 11, ALABAMA 9 | |||||
| MSU | 220 | 003 | 004 | --- | 4-11-1 |
| ALA | 000 | 112 | 401 | --- | 9-14-0 |
WP --- Saunders Ramsey (7-1). LP --- Taylor Tankersley (2-5). HR --- Brad Jones (8), Joseph Hunter (2), Evan Bush (8), Michael McCallister (3). T --- 3:18. ATT --- 4,532 (paid).
