Dogs Open NCAA Quest With 10-4 Win Over Middle Tennessee
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STARKVILLE, Miss. -- No. 16 Mississippi State scored four first-inning runs and pounded out 15 hits Friday night in notching a 10-4 win over Middle Tennessee in the opening round of the 2003 Starkville Regional. The game drew 10,284 fans to MSW Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium, the second-largest crowd of the year at MSU and the sixth-largest regional tournament attendance at the Bulldogs' home park.
The win sends Mississippi State (41-18-1) into a winner's bracket matchup Saturday at 3 p.m. against No. 2-seeded North Carolina (40-21), a 4-3 winner over Missouri.
The Bulldogs (41-18-1) got six of those hits in the first inning off MT starter Steve Kline (7-4).
Matthew Maniscalco singled to right, Steve Gendron doubled him home and scored on Matthew Brinson's ground-rule double. Brinson advanced to third on a single by Brad Corley and scored on Craig Tatum's fielder's choice groundout to shortstop. Robby Goodson and Thomas Berkery followed with singles that stretched the MSW lead to 4-0.
State struck for another run without the benefit of a hit. Gendron reached on a two-out fielding miscue at shortstop, moved to second when Brinson drew a walk, and on an errant catcher's throw back to the mound following the walk Gendron raced home.
Bulldog junior starter Paul Maholm (9-2) scattered three Blue Raiders hits over the first four frames before MT broke through with a run in the fifth. Troy Harp opened the inning with a single to shallow left and moved to second on Troy Beachum's infield groundout. Chuck Akers drew a two-out walk and Chad Cooper followed with an infield grounder to second. Berkery's throw on the play was wide of the bag at first, allowing Harp to plate MT's first run.
MSU answered with a five-run burst in the home half of the fifth when the Bulldogs batted through the order against MT relief pitcher Jerry Knox. Goodson drove in a run with his third single of the night and Gendron capped the rally with a two-run double, his second two-bagger of the night.
Maholm was touched for three runs on three hits in the seventh. Harp opened the inning with a walk, Shane Kemp followed with a double, and after retiring the next two batters, Maholm gave up run-scoring hits by Cooper and Josh Archer. Saunders Ramsey replaced Maholm and ended the inning by retiring Nate Jaggers on an infield groundout to shortstop. Jaggers had two of MT's seven hits.
Maholm picked up the win, the 15th of his career at Dudy Noble Field, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Ramsey struckout two in 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Middle Tennessee's third pitcher in the game, Shay Horseman, struckout seven and blanked the Bulldogs over the final 3-1/3 innings with one-hit pitching.
Goodson paced MSU at the plate with three singles while Gendron drove in three runs with two doubles. Maniscalco, Corley, Tatum and Berkery had two hits apiece.
With his six strikeouts, Maholm climbed to third place on MSW career strikeouts chart with 273, passing first-round pro draftees Matt Ginter and B.J. Wallace.
Mississippi State has tabbed sophomore right-hander Alan Johnson for Saturday's start, while North Carolina is expected to send freshman Adam Kalkhof (7-1) to the hill.
The winner of Saturday's game advances to Sunday's 1:30 p.m. championship game, while the loser plays at 7 p.m., meeting the winner of Saturday morning's elimination matchup between Middle Tennessee and Missouri.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 10, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4
MTSU 000 010 300 -- 4- 7-4MSU 410 050 00X -- 10-15-2
WP -- Paul Maholm (9-2). LP -- Steve Kline (7-4). T -- 2:46. ATT -- 10,284
Paul Maholm, Saunders Ramsey (7) and Craig Tatum. Steve Kline, Jerry Knox (3), Shay Horseman (5) and Troy Harp and Derek Phillips (8).