Hearod, Cormier Lead Alabama Past State 9-5
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Beau Hearod belted a pair of home runs and pitcher Lance Cormier became Alabama's all-time career strikeouts leader Friday night as the No. 4 Crimson Tide turned back Mississippi State 9-5 in the opening game of a three-game series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama improved to 41-9 overall and 18-7 in the SEC while MSU dropped to 28-20-1 overall and 11-13 in the SEC.
Hearod opened the game's scoring and a four-run Alabama burst in the fourth inning with a pop fly solo home run over the right field wall, and added his 10th roundtripper of the season, a towering solo shot in the seventh inning.
Cormier recorded two strikeouts, both in his fifth inning, to became Alabama's all-time career strikeouts leader with 275. He gave up five runs on eight hits and walked four during his five-inning mound stint.
Alabama bunched seven of its 10 hits in the third and fourth innings off MSU starter Paul Maholm (8-3). The Crimson Tide, helped along by three Bulldog errors, batted through the order in the third inning. Adam Pavkovich doubled in two of Alabama's runs in the fourth inning when eight more Tide batters stepped to the plate.
State battled back, scoring twice in the fifth on a double by Matthew Brinson and plating three more runs in the sixth on a balk and RBI singles by Robby Goodson and Casey Long. Long's single ended Cormier's stint, and freshman closer Taylor Tankersley came on to end the Bulldog rally and hold the Bulldogs scoreless the remainder of the game. He allowed just two baserunners in 3-2/3 innings of scoreless relief work and earned his fifth save.
Six of Alabama's 10 hits went for extra bases, including an eighth inning solo blast by Scott McClanahan that ended the game's scoring.
Maholm gave up seven runs, three of them unearned, six hits, walked two and struck out one in a season-shortest 3-2/3 inning start. Jeff Lacher matched a career-high with four innings of game-closing relief work for State.
Matthew Maniscalco, Steve Gendron, Robby Goodson and Casey Long had two hits each for MSU, while Hearod had three hits to lead Alabama.
The teams continue their weekend series Saturday at 4 p.m., with MSU senior righty Tanner Brock (6-4) squaring off against Alabama lefty Jeffrey Norris (4-0).
ALABAMA 9, MISSISSIPPI STATE 5MSU 000 023 000 --- 5-9-3ALABAMA 004 300 11X --- 9-10-1WP -- Lance Cormier (9-2). LP -- Paul Maholm (8-3).HR -- (UA) Beau Hearod-2 (10), Scott McClanahan (9).T -- 3:00. ATT -- 5,711 (paid).