Collums Strikes Out Career-High 15 In Bulldogs' 5-1 Win Over Gamecocks
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Junior left-hander Joey Collums struck out a career-high 15 Sunday afternoon to lead No. 23 Mississippi State (6-1-1) to a 5-1 win and series sweep of Jacksonville State (7-8) at wind-chilled Dudy Noble Field.
Collums matched his previous career-high for punch-outs with his seventh in the fourth inning. He blanked JSU through six innings and three-hit the Gamecocks over seven innings. JSU scored its lone run in the seventh when Scott Smith struck out but reached on a wild pitch and scored three batters later on John McCarley's sacrifice fly to right field.
Jon Mungle laced a two-out double to the right-center field gap in the first inning to plate a pair of runs and stake Collums to a 2-0 lead. Steve Gendron went 3-for-5 to lead MSU at the plate. Gendron lashed a two-out single to score the first of two Bulldog runs in the third and added another two-out, run-scoring single in the fourth to extend the MSU lead to 5-0.
Jonathan Papelbon followed Collums on the mound in the eighth inning, closing out the game by striking out five of the six batters he faced.
JSU starter Jeremy Hudson (1-1), the first of three Gamecock pitchers in the game, took the loss, giving up four runs before leaving the game in the third inning. Designated hitter Travis Suereth singled twice to lead JSU.
The Bulldogs continue their current seven-game homestand Wednesday, playing host to Jackson State in a 4 p.m. game at Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State meets Loyola Marymount in baseball for the first time March 8-10 in a three-game weekend series in Starkville. The series-opener is set for 4 p.m. Friday.
MSU 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1 JSU 000 000 100 --- 1-3-2 MSU 202 100 00x --- 5-10-1 WP -- Joey Collums (1-0). LP -- Jeremy Hudson (1-1).HR -- None. TIME -- 2:50 ATTENDANCE -- 598 (actual),5,823 (paid).