Brinson's Swats, Young's Initial SEC Start Powers Bulldogs To Series Sweep And SEC Tourney Berth
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- First baseman Matthew Brinson belted a pair of home runs and junior right-hander Chris Young picked up a win in his first career SEC start Sunday as Mississippi State (33-22-1, 14-15) completed a three-game weekend sweep with a 10-5 win over instate rival and 16th-ranked Mississippi (37-19, 14-16) at Dudy Noble Field. The win clinched a league-leading 16th straight berth in the SEC Tournament May 22-26 in Hoover, Ala., for Mississippi State and Ron Polk's 1,000th career coaching victory in 25 seasons in the Southeastern Conference.
The win sends the Bulldogs on to the SEC Tournament for the 16th consecutive year, where State, seeded seventh, takes on SEC West champ and second-seeded Alabama (44-12, 20-10) Wednesday at 1 p.m. (CT).
Brinson broke a scoreless deadlock in the fourth inning with a solo home run off UM starter J.R. Pickens (7-4), his 13th of the season. No. 14 followed in his next at-bat an inning later, a three-run shot off relief ace T.J. Beam that put the Bulldogs up 4-0.
Young (5-1), making his third career start and his first at Dudy Noble Field, tossed shutout baseball for the first five innings before giving up a run on one hit in the sixth. He scattered six hits, struck out four, walked two and allowed three runs, two unearned, in notching his third career win in as many decisions against the Rebels.
Seth Smith tripled and scored UM's first run in the sixth inning on an infield groundout by Chad Sterbens. But the Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, sent 10 batters to the plate against four UM pitchers in a four-run seventh inning burst, and held off a UM comeback attempt in the final two innings.
Designated hitter Robby Goodson extended his hitting streak to a career-best eight games and drove in three Bulldog runs with a double, a single and a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning.
The win was No. 1000 for Mississippi State skipper Ron Polk (1000-492-1) in 25 seasons of coaching in the Southeastern Conference, 23 of them at MSU. Polk missed the final 1-2/3 innings of the game, after being ejected by home plate umpire Rick Darby in the eighth inning.
UM totaled four of its nine hits in the last two frames, scoring twice each inning. Relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the eighth, gave up two runs on three consecutive hits in the ninth. But he retired the top three hitters in the UM batting order on a pair of fly ball outs and an infield groundout to end the game.
The sweep was the Bulldogs' first this season and their first at Dudy Noble Field since taking three from Kentucky last April.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 10, MISSISSIPPI 5 UM 000 001 022 - 5-9-1 MSU 000 141 40x - 10-8-1 WP --- Chris Young (5-1). LP --- J.R. Pickens (7-4). HR --- Matthew Brinson-2 (14). T --- 2:55. ATT --- 7227 (paid), 4845 (actual).