Bumstead Goes The Distance In 7-2 SEC Tourney Win Over MSU
HOOVER, Ala. -- LSU starter Nate Bumstead (10-2) tossed his second complete game of the season and the No. 8 Tigers took advantage of a season-high four Bulldog errors Friday night to claim a 7-2 win over Mississippi State. The loss dropped 14th-ranked Mississippi State (39-17-1) into an elimination round rematch with instate rival Mississippi Saturday at 1 p.m.
Bumstead scattered 11 hits, struck out four and was backed by stellar defensive play that limited the Bulldogs to two runs.
"Alan Johnson pitched well for us tonight, but we gave them too many four-out innings," said Coach Ron Polk. "I'm proud of the way we swung the bats tonight. We hit the ball about as hard as you can against Bumstead. LSU just made all the plays behind him tonight."
LSU (39-18-1), retired in order in the first inning by MSU starter Alan Johnson (5-4), struck for three runs on four hits in the second. Blake Gill walked to open the inning and was safe at second when Thomas Berkery couldn't handle the throw from Matthew Maniscalco following Clay Harris' fielder's choice grounder to shortstop. Ivan Naccarata doubled both in and later came home on Matt Liuzza's single up the middle.
Mississippi State out-hit LSU 11-4 but was unable to come up with the clutch hit against Bumstead. Jon Mungle and Steve Gendron reached with first inning singles before Matthew Brinson grounded into an inning-ending double play. State answered LSU's three-run burst with a pair of runs in the third. Jeff Butts opened the inning with a double, Thomas Berkery advanced him to third with a single to left, and Matthew Maniscalco lined a single to right to score Butts. Steve Gendron's second of three hits on the night plated Berkery, but Bumstead worked out of trouble when Brinson grounded into another inning-ending twin-killing.
The Tigers parlayed a fielding error at second base, a hit batsman, a walk, a stolen base, an errant pick-off throw to third base and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Patterson to match MSU's scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.
Johnson kept the Bulldogs in the game with a strong pitching performance, retiring 14 runners in a row and coming within an out of his third complete game of the year. Johnson retired the first batter he faced in the eighth before giving up his third hit of the game, a single by SEC Player of the Year Aaron Hill. Johnson then walked Gill and got Harris to fly out to right field. State turned to Brian Owens to finish the game. But Owens' errant pick-off throw to first base allowed one run to score and Naccarata singled in another run to give the Tigers the five-run margin of victory.
In addition to Gendron's game-high three hits, the Bulldiogs got two-hit performances from Maniscalco, Mungle and Butts.
The attendance for the tournament session, which included an earlier Alabama-Auburn matchup, was a record 14,427.
The Bulldogs are expected to start junioir right-hander in Saturday's elimination round rematch with Mississippi. The winner in that game advances to an 8 p.m. game with LSU.
LSU 7, MISSISSIPPI STATE 2MSU 002 000 000 --- 2-11-4LSU 032 000 02X --- 7-4-0WP --- Nate Bumstead (10-2). LP --- Alan Johnson (5-4). T --- 2:28. ATT --- 14,427.
Alan Johnson, Brian Owens (8) and Craig Tatum. Nate Bumstead and Matt Liuzza.