Jeffrey Rea's Single Lifts State To Series-Clinching 5-3 Win Over Alabama
May 08, 2005 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Jeffrey Rea's two-out single scored two runs in theeighth inning Sunday afternoon lifting Mississippi State (30-16, 11-12 SEC)to a series-clinching 5-3 win over No. 12 Alabama (34-16, 14-10 SEC). MSUwon the series opener 7-3 Friday and Alabama claimed Saturday's contest 5-3.
The win, coupled with Sunday's other Southeastern Conference results,vaulted Mississippi State back into fourth place in SEC's the rugged WesternDivision and back to seventh place in the league's overall standings. It wasthe fifth series win in eight weekends of league play and State's 13th homeseries win over Alabama in the last 15. MSU has three-game SEC setsremaining at Florida this weekend and at Dudy Noble Field against LSU May20-22, the final weekend of league play.
"What a great two-out hit by Jeffrey Rea and what a great pitchingperformance by Mike Valentine," said coach Ron Polk. "We've been playingfrom behind a lot lately, so it was good to come back and get the win withthe timely hit, which which just couldn't get in Saturday's game."
It was the third game-winning RBI for Rea and a career-longest 4-2/3 inningspitching performance by Valentine.
For the third straight day Alabama jumped out to an early lead. Back-to-backdoubles off MSU starter Jon Crosby by Morrow Thomley and Zac Welch to openthe second plated one run. A second run came home when Cale Iorg's infieldgrounder was misplayed by shortstop Bunky Kateon.
State answered quickly, scoring three times in the second inning with fourhits. Joseph McCaskill opened the frame with a sharply hit single up themiddle off UA starter Brandon Belcher. Brad Corley followed with a doubleand Joseph Hunter drove McCaskill home with a sacrifice fly to center field.A walk and a pop-up later, Jeffrey Rea and Ed Easley delivered back-to-backRBI singles that moved the Bulldogs back on top 3-2.
Thomley opened the fourth with a double and raced home on a two-bagger bycatcher Kody Valverde. it was the fifth of seven doubles among Alabama'snine hits.
Both teams changed pitchers in the fifth inning. Alabama turned to DavidRobertson, who earned the save in Saturday night's 5-3 win. Robertson leftBulldog base-runners stranded in scoring position in the fifth and sixth andset the Bulldogs down in order in the seventh. But in the eighth, afterending Brad Corley's 3-for-3 day with a strikeout, Robertson gave up asingle to Joseph Hunter and walked Brian LaNinfa. Pinch-hitter Jeff Buttsthen advanced the base-runners with a groundout to second, and Rea smoked an0-1 offering from Davidson up the middle of the infield, scoring Hunter andLaNinfa.
Mike Valentine (4-0), who replaced Jon Crosby in the fifth, got out of atwo-on, one-out jam in the inning, faced three batters in the sixth, seventhand eighth innings, and worked around a lead-off walk and two-out double byAlabama in the ninth. The sophomore right-hander from Midlothian, Va.,struck out four and allowed two hits during a career-longest 4-2/3 inningsrelief stint to earn the win.
Brad Corley, moved to the six-hole in the MSU batting order, led all hitterswith a 3-for-4 afternoon that included a team-leading 16th double of theyear. Rea went 2-for-2 and matched a season-best with a three-RBI showing.
Mississippi State continues a rugged five-games-in-five-days run Monday inJackson, Miss., when State tangles with Birmingham-Southern (30-16) in arescheduled Entergy baseball Series game at Smith-Wills Stadium. theBulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field to entertain Mississippi Valley StateTuesday at 6:30 p.m. and then journey to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-gameseries against the Florida Gators.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 5, ALABAMA 3
UA (34-16, 14-10 SEC) 020 100 000 - 3-9-2MSU (30-16, 11-12 SEC) 030 000 02x - 5-11-1WP - Mike Valentine (4-0). LP - David Robertson (6-3). T - 2:58. ATT - 2,315(6,109 paid).
