State Stays Unbeaten With 7-4 Win At Jacksonville State
March 15, 2006 | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Mississippi State (13-0) rode a solid pitching performance by freshman starter Matt Lea and closed out its midweek road trip to Alabama with a 7-4 win over Jacksonville State (7-10) Wednesday night at Rudy Abbott Field. MSU had to overcome a season-high five errors, three during a two run JSU seventh inning rally.
Lea (2-0) scattered two runs on six hits and struck out two to earn his second win in as many starts and extend the MSU winning streak to 13 games.
The Gamecocks broke on top in the third inning. Bret Pettus opened the inning with a double to left and raced home on Bert Smith's two-out single up the middle.
State, handcuffed by JSU starter Donovan Hand over the first four innings, picked up four singles and punched a game-tying run across in the fifth. Mitch Moreland, Jeff Butts and Jeffrey Rea reached with singles. JSU retired Moreland on the basepaths for the second out of the inning, but Edward Easley delivered a two-out single to right to score Butts and tie the game at 1-1.
Gamecocks shortstop Steven Leach drew a walk to open the fifth inning, advanced on a bunt single and a sacrifice bunt, and scored JSU's second run on Brian Piazza's infield groundout to shortstop.
The Bulldogs sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth inning, loading the bases on walks to Brad Jones and Andy Rice and a single to Joseph Hunter. Joseph McCaskill delivered a pinch-hit single up the middle to score the first of three Bulldog runs in the inning. Infield groundouts by Michael Rutledge and Jeff Butts plated two more runs as State forged into the lead at 4-2.
State added a run in the sixth when Michael Rutledge drew a bases-loaded walk. A wild pitch and a double by Hunter helped the Bulldogs expand the lead to 7-2 in the eighth.
Jacksonville State got back into the game in the eighth inning, plating two runs on three hits and helped along by three Bulldog errors. Mike Valentine struck out Bert Smith with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Senior Brett Cleveland came on to finish the game in the ninth, working around a lead-off single to earn his fourth save.
Jeffrey Rea went 3-for-4 and Edward Easley, Joseph Hunter and Joseph McCaskill delivered two-hit plate performances.
JSU ace Donovan Hand (2-3) took the loss, giving up three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.
Mississippi State begins Southeastern Conference competition at Dudy Noble Field this weekend against the Tennessee Volunteers. Friday's series-opener is set for 6:30 p.m.
Mississippi State 7, Jacksonville State 4
MSU 000 013 120 --- 7-13-5JSU 001 010 020 --- 4-10-1
