Pitching Rules As State Completes Sweep Of Marist
* Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State plated three runs in the fourthinning and junior righthander Josh Johnson tossed 6-1/3 innings of one-hitshutout baseball to lead No. 11 MSU to a 3-1 win over Marist in the openinggame of a Sunday double-header at Dudy Noble Field. In the nightcap, MSUstarter John Lalor registered a career-high 11 strikeouts as the Bulldogs(3-0) completed the season-opening series sweep with a 4-2 win over the RedFoxes (0-3).
"This was a good weekend for us against a pretty good Marist ball club,"said coach Ron Polk. "Pitchers are usually ahead of hitters early in theseason, and today was a pitcher's type of day. It was a cold day with thewind blowing in. We got some timely hits and our pitchers did a good jobthrowing strikes."
The Bulldogs touched Marist starter George Heath (0-1) for three runs in thefourth inning of the opener. Joseph Hunter laced a single up the middle,advanced to third on Brian LaNinfa's single to right and scored on a bloopsingle to shallow left by Andy Rice. Hunter and LaNinfa raced home momentslater when Jeff Butts' two-out fly ball was dropped in right field.
State threatened to pull away from Marist in the sixth inning, loading thebases with a walk and singles by Matt Richardson and Thomas Berkery. Butrelief pitcher Mike Puckli, the last of three Marist pitchers in the game,retired the next two batters on fly balls to end the threat.
Johnson (1-0) retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up aninfield hit in the fourth inning. Johnson struck out five and did not issuea walk before leaving the game after retiring the first Marist batter in theseventh inning.
Sophomore Justin Pigott replaced Johnson in the seventh, working out of ajam in the seventh and yielding an unearned run in the eighth. Max Mostsingled sharply past third base to open the inning, advanced to third baseon a Bulldog fielding error and a failed pick-off attempt at second base,and scored on Kyle Meyer's pinch-hit infield groundout. Pat Feeney openedthe Marist ninth with a single to center field, but Pigott struck out thenext three batters to end the game and earn the Bulldogs' first save of thecampaign.
Marist starter George Heath (0-1) was charged with all three runs, twounearned, allowing six hits in five innings. Josh Rickards pitched ascoreless inning in relief of Heath.
Andy Rice went 2-for-3 and drove in a run to pace MSU at the plate whileFeeney had two of Marist's four hits.
In the nightcap, sophomore John Lalor struck out a career-high 11 battersand the Bulldogs scored three times in their last two innings to completethe double-header and series sweep with a 4-2 win.
Lalor (1-0) struck out the first four Marist batters he faced and fannedseven in the first three innings, allowing but five baserunners during his6-2/3 innings on the mound. Lalor combined with Mitch Moreland and AaronWeatherford to pile up 16 strikeouts while giving up two unearned runs.
State claimed a 1-0 lead when Brad Jones opened the second inning with adouble off Marist starter Bobby Hastry (0-1). Jones advanced a bag on JosephHunter's infield groundout and scored on Brian LaNinfa's grounder back tothe pitcher.
Keith Glasser and Kyle Meyer delivered back-to-back singles in the thirdinning against Lalor, and Marist used a Bulldog throwing error and aninfield groundout by Travis Musolf to tie the score at 1-1.
The Bulldogs regained the lead with an unearned run in the sixth inning.Edward Easley singled past shortstop and later scored when Hunter doubled toright-center field. State stretched its lead to 4-1 with two runs in theseventh. Andy Rice opened the frame with a walk and Jeffrey Rea and Easleyfollowed with two-out RBI hits. Easley and Hunter paced MSU with two hitseach.
State out-hit Marist 7-5, with doubles by Easley, Jones, Hunter and LaNinfaaccounting for four of those hits.
Sophomore righty Mitch Moreland replaced Lalor in the seventh inning,getting the final out in the frame and then retiring three of the fourbatters he faced in the eighth on strikeouts. Marist third baseman PatFeeney then opened the ninth with a double off Moreland, and the Bulldogsturned to true freshman Aaron Weatherford to close out the game and earn asave in his MSU pitching debut. Weatherford registered a pair of strikeoutsbut a fielding error allowed Marist to plate its second unearned run of thegame.
The Bulldogs resume their 11-game season-opening homestand Friday hostingArkansas State in a three-game weekend series.