Diamond Dogs To Test The Crimson Tide In Tuscaloosa
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State treks to Tuscaloosa, Ala., this weekend to begin the second half of the SEC’s 10-weekend baseball schedule with a three-game series against long-time Western Division foe Alabama. The Bulldogs (15-21, 3-12 SEC) and the Crimson Tide open their three-game set Friday with a 6:35 p.m. game at Sewell-Thomas Field. The teams meet again Saturday at 4:05 p.m. before concluding the series Sunday at 2:06 p.m. in a game that will be regionally televised by Comcast Sports.
The radio broadcast of all three games will be carried on the statewide MSU Baseball Radio Network and available on the internet (www.MStateAthletics.com) to subscribers of MSU’s premium site extension, “Maroon to the Max”.
State notched a 6-3 win over SEC West-leading Mississippi Tuesday night in Pearl, Miss., in the second annual Governor’s Cup game, and enter the weekend three games behind Alabama, currently in a three-way tie for second place in the division. Junior first baseman doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning and junior relief ace Aaron Weatherford retired five of the six batters he faced in the final two frames to lift the Bulldogs to their second win in four meetings with the 16th-ranked Rebels.
Senior left-handed pitcher Justin Pigott (2-1, 4.57) is expected to return to the Bulldogs’ starting rotation this weekend after missing the last four week’s with a shoulder injury. Pigott, the team leader in innings pitched (113.2) and strikeouts (76) last season, will take the hill for Sunday’s series finale in his fifth start of the season.
Junior right-hander Chad Crosswhite (2-2, 10.05), who missed the first three weekend starts in league play with a hip injury, will start for State Friday opposite Alabama righty Austin Hyatt (2-3, 4.74). In the Saturday afternoon contest, sophomore righty and Alabama native Ricky Bowen (2-4, 7.20) will be matched with Tide lefty Miers Quigley (4-2, 3.49).
With sophomore third baseman and team RBI and home run leader Connor Powell (.348) sidelined by a hamstring injury, the top three hitters in the MSU lineup are freshmen --- catcher Cody Freeman (.394), outfielder Ryan Collins (.366) and outfielder Jason Nappi (.321). Freeman was sidelined for nine games by a knee injury and returned to the MSU batting order Tuesday as the designated hitter in State’s 6-5 win in the Governor’s Cup. Freeman extended his hitting streak to seven games with a third inning single.
Bulldog junior outfielder Grant Hogue pilfered two bases against Mississippi Tuesday night, reclaiming the SEC stolen base lead to 20 in 23 attempts.
Mississippi State continues its seven-game road run in Hattiesburg, Miss., next week with 6:30 p.m. matchups at Pete Taylor Park Tuesday and Wednesday against Southern Miss.