FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — First-inning pitching difficulties did in the No. 25 Mississippi State University baseball team again Sunday afternoon.
MSU walked three in the first inning and allowed three runs before recording an out en route to a 3-1 loss to No. 15 University of Arkansas at Baum Stadium.
With the series-clinching victory, Arkansas improved to 21-8 and 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference, while MSU fell to 23-8 and 3-6. The Razorbacks have now five straight series from the Bulldogs.
“We are not pitching well enough in the first inning,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “Our bullpen is as great as anybody in the nation. We will find the right guy. (Regular starter) Jacob Lindgren not being able to start (due to injury) really hurt us. We were also without (catcher) Mitch Slauter (due to illness). That is not an excuse. We simply have to keep people from scoring in the first inning. We have to find a way to get off to better starts.”
MSU has allowed 35 runs in nine conference games. Ten of those runs have scored in the first inning. In five of their last six conference games, the Bulldogs have allowed an opponent to scorer in the first.
Ben Bracewell (0-1) failed to get an out in his first start of the season, allowing two walks and two hits. Ross Mitchell walked in a run and then got a double play ball, which pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 3-0.
Randall Fant, Jalen Beeks, and Colby Suggs made that lead stand up. Fant (2-0) allowed four hits in six innings, Beeks threw two innings, and Suggs (three saves) worked around a leadoff error in a scoreless ninth.
“It is really disappointing,” Cohen said. “The defense did an exceptional job. Nobody in the country played any better defense than we did this week. You just can’t walk people. We have to manufacture things and find pitchers who will challenge the strike zone.”
Mitchell threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He struck out two. Chad Girodo retired the only batter he faced, while Jonathan Holder pitched 1 1/3 innings.
The Bulldogs broke up the shutout on Wes Rea’s second home run of the season in the fourth. Rea had two of MSU’s five hits. Hunter Renfroe went hitless and had his 15-game hit streak stopped.
Jake Wise had two of Arkansas’ six hits.
MSU will play at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against the University of South Alabama. It will play host to the University of Florida at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Dudy Noble Field.
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