Rebel Pitching Silences Bulldog Bats, 5-1
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
JACKSON, Miss. - Sixth-ranked Mississippi scored four runs in theeighth inning to break open a tight battle and claim the 26thEntergy/Mayor's Trophy Game 5-1 Tuesday night before 5,402 fans atSmith-Wills Stadium. It was the fourth straight win in the series forthe Rebels (20-5), who have now won six of the last seven in the neutralsite matchup to tie the series at 13-13.
Junior lefty Eric Fowler (2-1), in only his second start of the year,struck out a career-high 11 and allowed but two Bulldog base-runnersover the first seven innings. The Duck Hill, Miss., product did not walka batter and ended his career-best pitching performance after givingleadoff singles to Ed Easley and Brian LaNinfa and then striking out thenext two Bulldog batters in the seventh. Matt Maloney came on tocomplete the eighth and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth toearn his fourth save.
Mississippi plated the game's first run in the second inning whenMark Wright drew a lead-off walk and scored from first base on AlexPresley's double to right field. It was the only run and one of sixhits allowed by starter Brooks Dunn (3-1), who matched a career-highwith 5.0 innings pitched and left the game after giving up a leadoffsingle to Chris Coghlan and hitting Stephen Head with a pitch in thesixth inning.
Josh Johnson followed Dunn to the hill for State, getting out of thesixth and the seventh unscathed before Cooper Osteen opened the eighthinning with a single. Freshman lefty Jesse Carver then entered the gameand was charged with a balk, the second called on Bulldog pitching inthe game by first base umpire Fred Cannon. Cannon later ejected Bulldogcoach Ron Polk for disputing the balk. Coghlan tripled into the rightfield corner to score Osteen and later touched home on a sacrifice flyby Stephen Head.
Brian Pettway, facing the third MSU pitcher in the inning, Jamie Gant,reached base on a Bulldog fielding error at third, and pinch-hitterMiles Franklin closed out the UM scoring with a two-run blast to leftfield, his first home run of the year.
Thomas Berkery, who singled off Fowler in the first inning, scored theBulldogs' lone run with his third home run of the campaign. TheBulldogs mounted their biggest scoring threat later in the final inningwhen Joseph Hunter lashed a single to left off Maloney, extending hishitting streak to 18 games. Brad Jones reached on a fielding error atsecond base, and with two outs Maloney hit Brian LaNinfa with a pitch toload the bases. But Maloney ended the game with his second strikeout ofthe inning to preserve the Rebel win.
Coghlan led all batters with a 3-for-4 night that included a single, adouble and a triple. Thomas Berkery paced MSU's five-hit attack withtwo hits
Mississippi State continues its season-longest nine-game road trip witha three-game SEC weekend series at the University of Tennessee.Friday's series-opener in Knoxville is set for 6 p.m. CST.Mississippi resumes league play this weekend at Vanderbilt.
