STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team scored 13 runs in the first inning Sunday en route to a 17-2 victory against Lamar at Dudy Noble Field.
The Bulldogs (4-0) won all games in their season-opening series played before a total weekend crowd of 10,264.
In a pair of victories against Mid-American Conference foe Akron and Southland Conference foe Lamar, MSU pitchers posted an ERA of 0.75, allowed 19 hits and three earned runs and struck out 36 and walked 13 in 36 innings.
MSU also didn”t commit an error.
“Lamar is a good team,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “They won their conference and made a regional last year. Thirty games from now, we will look back and realize what we did today. Because of that, I”m very pleased with what we did.
“Are we going to make errors this season? You better believe it. But when we show up and play like we did today, it will be a great season.”
The Bulldogs removed all doubt by scoring 13 times in the first inning. That uprising was the best for MSU since an 11-run fifth inning in a 27-4 win against Alcorn State last season. The Bulldogs sent 17 to the plate and scored nine runs before making an out.
Nick Vickerson walked to start the inning. Brent Brownlee followed with a single. Jarrod Parks walked to load the bases, chasing starting pitcher Garrett Steward. Daryl Norris followed with an RBI-single. C.T. Bradford drove in a pair with a single. A bunt single by Wes Thigpen scored another run. Ryan Collins walked to re-load the bases. Jonathan Ogden greeted Stephen Tromblee with a grand slam to left center. It was the Bulldogs” third and final home run of the opening weekend.
Sam Frost walked before Vickerson reached on an infield error. A Parks” single to left center made it 9-0. Norris hit a sacrifice fly for the half inning”s first out. A two-run double by Collins and another error completed the first-inning scoring.
MSU starter Tim Statz allowed four hits and two runs (both earned), with three walks and two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Evan Mitchell (1-0) threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn his first win. C.C. Watson, Victor Diaz, and Taylor Stark threw an inning apiece to complete the victory.
MSU expanded the lead with a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Parks had three hits to lead the 14-hit attack, while Vickerson, Brownlee, Norris, and Bradford each had multiple hits. Bradford and Norris each finished with three RBIs.
MSU will play host to Northwestern State at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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