LaNinfa's Grand Slam Sparks State To 17-10 Marathon Win At Auburn
April 15, 2006 | Baseball
* Official Statistics
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AUBURN, Ala. - Brian LaNinfa belted a grand slam during an eight-run, eighth inning Bulldog burst as No. 8 Mississippi State (26-8, 7-6 SEC) evened up its SEC baseball series with a 17-10 win over Auburn (17-21, 5-9 SEC) Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park. The two teams combined for 28 hits and 15 walks in a game that stretched to three hours and 48 minutes.
LaNinfa went 4-for-6 and drove in a career-best five runs and Jeffrey Rea drove in four runs with his second three-hit game of the weekend.
State broke a 9-9 deadlock in the eighth inning when MSU sent 13 batters to the plate. The Bulldogs parlayed four walks, a hit batsman, a pair of singles and two home runs into an eight-run inning, the biggest by Mississippi State this season. Mitch Moreland drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring, and LaNinfa followed with his third home run of the season, a shot that sailed over the rightfield wall at Plainsman Park. Two batters later Jeff Butts connected on his team-leading fourth home run of the year, a solo shot to right, and Rea and Edward Easley delivered run scoring singles to cap the burst.
It was the second big inning of the game.
State plated three runs in the second, added another in the third and expanded its lead to 6-1 in the fourth on a two-run double by Rea.
But Auburn staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven times. MSU starter Josh Johnson retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a double to Russell Dixon. Johnson fanned Justin Bristow, but the ball bounced away from catcher Wyn Diggs, putting Bristow on base and opening the door for a big inning. The next six batters reached safely, with one run scoring on a balk and a game-tying four more on a bases-loaded swat by Jeff Boutwell that sailed over the left field wall. Andy Bennett, the first batter faced by State relief pitcher Aaron Weatherford, then laced a two-run single to right that gave Auburn an 8-6 lead. The Tigers added a run in the fifth to stretch their lead to 9-6.
Johnny Thompson, the fourth of six Auburn pitchers in the game, hit MSU lead-off batter Joseph Hunter with a pitch and walked Rea to open the eighth before giving way to Bryan Woodall. Easley advanced the runners with a bunt and Thomas Berkery was intentionally walked to load the bases. Two batters later LaNinfa gave the Bulldogs an 11-9 lead with his grand slam, the third of the season for MSU.
State skipper Ron Polk missed most of the marathon game, including the two big innings, when plate umpire Donald Gilmore stopped the game in the fourth inning and ejected Polk from the MSU dugout.
Johnson worked a season-shortest 3-2/3 innings, giving up eight runs on five hits with four walks and one strikeout. Weatherford (4-0) picked up the win in relief of Johnson, working a season-longest 5-1/3 innings and allowing two runs on nine hits.
Starter Evan Crawford allowed six runs on six hits during his four-inning stay in the game.
In addition to LaNinfa and Rea, Edward Easley and Joseph McCaskill had multi-hit games for MSU. State shortstop Thomas Berkery saw his school-record and SEC-leading 30-game hit streak come to a close with an 0-for-3 afternoon. Berkery, who has hit safely in 32 of 34 games this season, walked twice and delivered a sacrifice fly.
Russell Dixon has a double and two singles to lead Auburn.
The series' deciding third game is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, with sophomore right-hander John Lalor (2-1, 3.82) taking the hill for State opposite Auburn junior righty Chris Dennis (1-3, 6.55).
MISSISSIPPI STATE 17, AUBURN 10
MSU 031 203 080 --- 17 - 2 - 0AUB 100 710 001 --- 10 - 14 - 6WP --- Aaron Weatherford (4-0). LP --- Clarence Nicely (1-1). HR --- Brian LaNinfa (3), Jeff Butts (4), Jeff Boutwell (2) T --- 3:48. ATT --- 2,629.
