Dunn, Cleveland Silence USA Bats As Bulldogs Win 2-1 In Jackson
April 20, 2005 | Baseball
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
JACKSON, Miss. --- Junior lefty Brooks Dunn turned in the pitchingperformance of his career and Brad Corley delivered a game-winningdouble Wednesday night as No. 29 Mississippi State (25-10) nipped SouthAlabama 2-1 in the Entergy College Baseball Series at Smith-WillsStadium. The win gave the Bulldogs a sweep of their two-game series withSouth Alabama (24-16) after posting a 10-6 win Tuesday night at USA'sEddy Stanky Field in Mobile.
Dunn (4-1), from Birmingham, Ala., struck out a career-high eightJaguars and scattered four hits during a career-longest 7-2/3 inningstart for State. Ben Froemming, the first batter Dunn faced in the game,ripped a double down the left field line, stole third and scored on aninfield groundout by David Freese to give USA a 1-0 lead.
But Dunn allowed just three base-runners through the next six innings.
State knotted the score in the second off USA starter John Devisser.Brad Jones opened the second with a single to right that extended hiscurrent hitting streak to a career-matching 13 games. He moved up a bagon a wild pitch and touched home with the tying run on Ed Easley'stwo-out single to right.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases off USA relief man Josh Ehmke (1-2) witha double lead-off double by Brad Corley and a pair of walks. But Ehmkeworked out of the jam, striking out Bulldog freshmen Ed Easley and MitchMoreland to keep the game tied.
MSU took the lead in the seventh when Jeffrey Rea reached on afielder's choice and Brad Corley delivered his third hit and seconddouble of the night, a foul line-hugging smash into the left fieldcorner that enabled Rea to score from first base.
The Jaguars mounted a two-out threat in the eighth inning whenFroemming singled and Dunn struck Tyler Jones with a pitch and walkedFreese to load the bases. State called on relief man Brett Cleveland todouse the rally, and the Independence, Miss., product responded with athree-pitch strikeout of Jaguar DH Aaron George.
Cleveland gave up a lead-of single in the ninth. He retired the nexttwo batters and then picked up his second save of the campaign whenfreshman catcher Ed Easley picked off the runner at first base, hisSEC-leading eighth pick-off this season.
Corley went 3-for-4 for his second three-hit performance against SouthAlabama in as many nights and State out-hit USA 7-5. Froemming and RyanNichols had two hits each for the Jaguars.
Dunn walked one and hit two batters while Cleveland struck out two andgave up one hit in 1-1/3 innings of game-closing relief.
Ehmke walked three and struck out five in 4-2/3 innings of reliefpitching. He took the loss for South Alabama, with Justin Raybornblanking State with one-hit pitching over the final 2-1/3 innings.
The win was No. 1,258 for Bulldog skipper Ron Polk, who climbed a notchto No. 11 among college baseball's all-time winningest coaches.
The Bulldogs return to action at Dudy Noble Field this weekend, openinga three-game SEC weekend series Friday at 6:30 p.m.
