Berkery Sparks State To 7-3 Win Over No. 12 Alabama
May 06, 2005 | Baseball
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Junior catcher Thomas Berkery went 3-for-4 and drovein four runs Friday night to lead Mississippi State (29-15, 10-11 SEC) to aseries-opening 7-3 win over No. 12 Alabama (33-15, 13-9 SEC) at Dudy NobleField. The win snapped a four-game losing skid by the Bulldogs, who climbedto seventh place in the league's overall standings.
Berkery doubled in two runs in the second and plated two more on asixth-inning home run that gave MSU its final margin of victory.
The game also marked the return to action of junior center fielder JosephHunter, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the fourthinning. Hunter, the team's hitting leader, missed the past 11 games afterfracturing a thumb when struck by a pitch against Georgia on April 16.Hunter went 0-for-3 at the plate in his first game back.
The third start against Alabama was a charm for Bulldog senior pitcher AlanJohnson (3-5), who overcame first inning difficulties and ended up workingseven strong innings. Johnson, from pleasant Grove, Ala., had a no-decisionand a loss in his two previous meetings with Alabama. Johnson allowed threeruns on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
"Alan didn't have his good stuff early tonight, but he battled through it togive us seven good innings," said Bulldog skipper Ron Polk. "Getting to T.J.Large for three runs in the first was huge. So were Berkery's double andhome run."
The game included five double plays, three by Alabama.
Alabama broke on top in the first inning when Allen Rice reached on aninfield single and Gabe Scott followed with his 11th home run of the season,a one-out blast inside the right field foul pole.
State answered promptly with three runs, one on Brad Jones' two-strikesingle to right-center field and two more on a double into the left fieldcorner by Ed Easley.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead to 5-2 an inning later. UA starter T.J.Large retired the first batter he faced in the second but plunked Jeff Buttsand Jeffrey Rea before Berkery followed with a two-run double toright-center. Lefty Brent Carter then followed Large to the hill, ending theinning with a double play and working around problems in the fourth andfifth innings with double plays.
In the fourth Zac Welch singled up the middle and later came home on anerrant pick-off throw at second base, trimming the MSU lead to 5-3.
Carter held State scoreless until the sixth when with two outs Rea singledto shallow left and Berkery uncorked his team-leading sixth home run of theyear just inside the left field foul pole. Carter was charged with two runson eight hits over 6-2/3 innings.
Jeffrey Rea scored three runs on a 3-for-4 night at the plate while BradJones and Ed Easley had two hits each to highlight MSU's 12-hit attack.
Saunders Ramsey followed Johnson to the hill in the eighth, shutting out theTide over the final two frames.
The teams continue their three-game series Saturday with a 6:30 p.m. contestat Dudy Noble Field.
