NO. 18 Diamond Dogs Open SEC Play At Home Against Vanderbilt
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
The weekend set begins a 30-game, 10-weekend run conference schedule.State's four other home SEC series include Auburn (Apr. 8-10), Kentucky(Apr. 22-24), Alabama (May 6-8) and Louisiana State (May 20-22). It marksthe sixth consecutive season MSU that has opened league competition at homeand the third time over that span that the Bulldogs have opened theirconference schedule at home against Vandy.
The MSU-VU series comes at the midpoint of a seven-game home stand for theDiamond Dogs. State returned from last weekend's season-first three-gameroad run at No. 9 Arizona and topped visiting Memphis twice (11-8, 4-2) inthe midweek. The Bulldogs wrap up their home schedule for March nextTuesday-Wednesday with a pair of contests with the University of New OrleansPrivateers.
Due to conflicts with radio broadcasts involving MSU's Basketball Bulldogsin the NCAA Tournament, Friday's game with Vanderbilt will be broadcastlocally only on the 100,000-watt flagship station of the MSU Baseball RadioNetwork, WFCA-FM in French, Camp, Miss. The final two games of thisweekend's SEC series will be carried on the statewide MSU Baseball RadioNetwork. All of the games can be heard on the worldwide web on the officialwebsite of MSU Athletics -- www.MStateAthletics.com. And subscribers to"Maroon to the Max" on the MSU web site can log into live video streamingwith the radio broadcast of the games.
Wet and unseasonably chilly weather greeted the Bulldogs upon their returnfrom a 1-2 weekend showing at Arizona, but the Diamond Dogs got the key hitsto take a pair of games from visiting Memphis, 11-8 and 4-2.
State plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-7 leadbefore rain suspended play Tuesday night. Despite allowing a season-high 17hits, the Bulldogs came back on Wednesday to complete the win. Jeffrey Reawent 3-for-4 and drove in three runs while Brad Corley had a single and twodoubles, the last a two-run hit just ahead of the rain suspension. StarterBrooks Dunn earned his team-leading third win and Saunders Ramsey his thirdsave.
In game two, State broke open a 1-1 pitching duel with three unearned runsin the eighth to notch a 4-2 win over the Tigers (5-8). Brian LaNinfa'stwo-run double gave MSU its first lead of the game. MSU out-hit UM 10-3, twoeach by Joseph Hunter and Thomas Berkery. Josh Johnson checked UM on a runand one hit over a season-longest 7.0-inning start before Brett Cleveland(1-0) came on to get the win in relief.
Hunter (.450) enters the weekend series riding a career-best and teamseason-longest nine-game hitting streak.
Vanderbilt marched to a berth in the 2004 NCAA Super Regionals, and alongthe way second-year Commodore coach Tim Corbin did what no previous Vandycoach had done -- swept Mississippi State in a three-game series. Vandyprevailed 7-2, 5-1 and rallied for a 5-4 win in the series finale at CharlesHawkins Field last April in Nashville.
Still, MSU owns a 59-26 overall series lead and is 31-12 in Starkville. MSUhas claimed the last six series at Dudy Noble Field, posting a 14-4 mark inthat span.
MSU-Vandy weekend pitching matchups
Friday -- 6:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt -- Jr. RHP - Jensen Lewis (3-0, 1.07)
Mississippi State -- Sr. RHP - Alan Johnson (1-1, 4.24)
Saturday -- 2 p.m. (Scouts Day)
Vanderbilt -- Sr. RHP - Jeff Sues (2-1, 5.40)
Mississippi State -- Sr. RHP- Todd Doolittle (1-1, 5.19)
Sunday -- 1:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt -- Jr. RHP - Matt Buschmann (2-1, 0.76)
Mississippi State -- So. RHP - Jon Crosby (2-0, 2.89)
