Easley Belts Grand Slam, Ramsey Earns Save As Bulldogs Take Series Finale At Arizona 13-12
March 13, 2005 | Baseball
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Freshman Ed Easley hit a grand slam home run during a 10-run Mississippi State burst in the second inning and State held off a late-game rally to post a 13-12 win over No. 9 Arizona (14-6) Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game series at UA's Frank Sancet Stadium. The win gave the Bulldogs (9-2) their first road win and their first decision over a ranked opponent this season.
Each team scored twice in the first inning before the Bulldogs sent 14 batters to the plate during the second inning explosion that featured nine hits, two each by Easley and another Bulldog freshman, shortstop Michael Rutledge. The second of Easley's hits capped the Bulldogs' biggest inning of the season. With the bases loaded, the Olive Branch, Miss., product launched his first career home run over the left field wall off UA relief pitcher David Coulon, staking MSU starter Josh Johnson to a 12-2 advantage.
State added its 13th run in the sixth inning and took a 13-5 lead when Rutledge drew a walk, advanced on an infield groundout and raced home on Jeff Butts' second run-producing single of the game.
The Bulldogs needed that insurance run. The Wildcats scored twice in the sixth and added another run in the seventh. The game tightened even more in the eighth when Jeff Van Houten ripped a three-run home run to left off relief pitcher Mike Valentine and Jason Donald capped a 3-for-4 afternoon with an RBI single up the middle of the infield to make it a 13-12 game. Senior relief ace Saunders Ramsey retired pinch-hitter Bill Rhinehart on an infield groundout with bases loaded and set the Wildcats down in order in the ninth on three infield grounders and picked up his second save.
Brad Jones delivered a two-run triple that gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 first-inning lead off UA starter Sean Rierson (2-2). In the home half of the first Trevor Crowe opened a 4-for-6 afternoon with a double as UA scored twice to knot the score at 2-2.
Seven Bulldogs hit safely in the 10-run second-inning uprising, chasing Rierson from the game when he failed to retire any of the six batters he faced in the frame.
MSU starter Johnson ran into similar second inning problems, retiring just one of the batters he faced in the frame when the Wildcats struck for three runs on three singles and a pair of walks. Relief man Jon Crosby came on to get the final two outs in the inning and allowed just one base-runner in the third, fourth and fifth innings. He left the game in the sixth after giving up a pair of runs on two doubles and a walk. Brett Cleveland entered the game to get the final out in the sixth, then walked a pair and gave up a two-out RBI single in the seventh. He gave way to Mike Valentine in the eighth. The Wildcats roughed up the sophomore righthander for four runs on four hits, including Van Houten's three-run blast. Van Houten finished with a five-RBI afternoon.
Ramsey had a rough start upon entering the game in the eighth. The MSU co-captain struck out UA catcher Nick Hundley and gave up back-to-back singles and a walk before retiring Rhinehart to end the eighth and preserved the win with a perfect ninth.
Junior outfielder Joseph Hunter matched a career-high for hits with a 4-for-5 performance to cap a 9-for-13 (.692) weekend against the ninth-ranked Wildcats. Easley had two hits and drove in a career-best four runs. Jeff Butts and Brad Jones went 2-for-5 with three RBI each while Brad Corley and Michael Rutledge also turned in two-hit performances at the plate.
The Bulldogs return to Starkville Monday to prepare for a seven-game run of games at Dudy Noble Field. MSU hosts Memphis in 4 p.m. contests Mar. 15-16 and then opens SEC competition Mar. 18-20 against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 13, ARIZONA 12
MSU (9-2) 2(10)0 001 000 --- 13-16-1UA (14-6) 2 3 0 002 140 --- 12-14-1
WP --- Jon Crosby (2-0). SV --- Saunders Ramsey (2). LP --- Sean Rierson (2-2). HR --- Ed Easley (1), Jeff Van Houten (3). T --- 3:27. ATT --- 1,007.
