LeBlanc Leads Tide To Series-Opening 5-3 Win
March 31, 2006 | Baseball
LeBlanc allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out seven while notissuing a walk.
"He's their hoss, and he's very good," said Mississippi Statehead coach Ron Polk. "We hit the ball hard against him at timestonight, just not enough."
Two of those hard-high balls were home runs that accounted for allthree Mississippi State runs.
Michael Rutledge broke a scoreless pitching duel between LeBlanc andState senior starter Brooks Dunn (5-1) with a solo home run toleft-center field in the top of the fifth. Edward Easley also belted atwo-run blast in the eighth.
Mississippi State turned a double play in each of the first threeinnings and Dunn retired Alabama in order in the fourth. But the wheelsfell off in the fifth inning after Rutledge's home run put State ontop. The Crimson Tide parlayed a one-out walk, a pair of singles, a balkand a passed ball into two runs and Greg Paiml followed with arun-scoring triple to put the Tide up 3-1.
Alabama expanded the lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh.Evan Bush doubled and raced home on an Alex Avila single. BrandonBelcher doubled and scored when Michael Rutledge was unable to handle aPaiml grounder at third base, boosting the Bama lead to 5-1.
State closed the gap in the eighth. Jeffrey Rea singled up the middleand Edward Easley followed with hit second home run of the year. TheBulldogs put a base-runner on in the ninth when Mitch Moreland led offthe frame with a do-or-die chopper that was not cleanly handled by thirdbaseman Matt Downs. But LeBlanc retired Joseph McCaskill on a fly balland the Tide defense then turned its second double play of the eveningto end the game.
Thomas Berkery extended his hitting streak to an SEC-leading 20 gameswith a first inning single.. Berkery and Rea finished with two hits eachto pace MSU at the plate.
Belcher went 3-for-3 to lead Alabama.
Dunn gave up a season-high five runs (four earned) on eight hits. Hewalked three, struck out six and was charged with two balks during hisseven-inning stint.
Sophomore Trent Hill worked a scoreless eighth to close out the gamefor MSU.
The teams continue the three-game series Saturday at 3 p.m. JoshJohnson (4-0) will open on the mound for MSU in the game which beginsSEC-TV's Game of the Week series on FOX Sports Net.
