TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The inning started with a scare Thursday.
Mississippi State’s Hunter Stovall had just beat out a throw to first base to open the third inning. But the freshman second baseman stumbled as he touched the bag and immediately went to the ground, clutching his leg. Stovall had to leave the game, but the play sparked a five-run outburst that powered No. 3 MSU to a 12-5 win against Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Field.
After Stovall’s play, freshman Jake Mangum tripled in a run to tie the game at 2. After a ground out and two walks by Alabama’s Geoffrey Bramblett, Gavin Collins, in keeping with MSU’s tremendous success producing runs with two outs, smoked a two-run home run a good 20 feet past the left-field wall.
“Getting the leadoff guy on is especially huge, and we did that a lot tonight,” said Collins, who was 2-for-5 with two RBIs. “We kind of just smelled blood in the water and started working at a different tempo. We’ll start talking … one guy will say in the dugout, ‘smell the blood,’ and that’s been a theme for our team all year.
“The ball flies well here, especially today in left, and we knew that before the game. Maybe some guys changed their approached to it, and that may have been a factor.”
MSU (28-13-1, 11-8 Southeastern Conference) took a 6-2 lead after the inning, which proved to be pivotal on a night MSU went hitless for the next three innings against Bramblett, two of which saw the Bulldogs go down in order. Over that stretch, Alabama (24-19, 9-10 SEC) plated three runs to get within a run.
“That kid can really pitch,” MSU coach John Cohen said of Bramblett. “His changeup and fastball just kept getting in on our guys. We didn’t hit a ton of balls hard off him; we had some breaks here and there. We didn’t have great at-bats against him, but we got him to 100 pitches six innings into the game.”
MSU starter Dakota Hudson lasted five innings and gave up three earned runs, six hits, and three walks. He struck out four. With his pitch-count nearing 100, Cohen and MSU pitching coach Wes Johnson brought in Daniel Brown, who started the sixth and gave up a leadoff double, a walk, and an RBI single before giving way to Keegan James, who inherited a 6-5 lead. Smith retired one batter before Blake Smith, who’d last pitched in a shutout inning against Louisiana-Monroe on April 20, entered. Smith inherited two runners in scoring position with one out, but he struck out Hunter Webb and got Georgie Salem to ground out to end the inning and preserve the lead.
“I knew I had to get a strikeout right off the bat, and once you get two outs you got a little more breathing room,” Smith said.
Collins said Smith was locked in as soon as he came in.
“He absolutely dominated,” Collins said of Smith. “That guy, every time in between innings, they’d flip the ball to him at third, and you have to back away from him slowly … it’s kind of that intimidating look in his eye. He had that every time tonight.”
Smith struck out four and didn’t surrender a hit or walk in 3 2/3 innings, his longest outing of the season, and longest since pitching three shutout innings against Southern California on March 5. The former Shelton State Community College transfer and Alabama native said his slider was his most effective pitch.
“I had pitches working for me, and when I can control my breaking ball and extend it, that’s a big step for me,” Smith said. “I hadn’t had my breaking ball the last few outings, and that was the difference for me tonight.”
MSU padded its lead with five runs in the top of the ninth. A three-run home run by Brent Rooker was the big blow.
After the game, Cohen said Stovall dislocated his knee and will have an MRI soon. His status for the series is uncertain.
n No. 9 Ole Miss 7, No. 8 LSU 6: At Oxford, Junior J.B. Woodman had two RBI doubles and threw out two baserunners at home to lead the Rebels (32-11, 11-8) past the Tigers (27-15, 10-9) at Swayze Field.
“That’s eight assists for him now. He’s got a knack for it,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “It’s a combination of him charging the ball, and then getting his body back under control. He’s extremely accurate, and he’s big in clutch situations.”
The first four Ole Miss hitters had nine of the team’s 11 hits. Six of those hits went for extra bases. Errol Robinson, Ryan Olenek, Tate Blackman, and Woodman had at least two hits. Robinson had a double and a triple. Blackman led the way with three hits and three RBIs, tying career highs. Woodman doubled twice to knock in a pair of runners in scoring position.
The Ole Miss bullpen pitched a combined 5 2/3 innings and limited LSU to two runs (one earned) on four hits.
Brady Feigl (4-0) pitched didn’t allow a run in 2/3 of an inning to get the victory. Junior Wyatt Short pitched the final two innings without allowing a run to earn his seventh save.
Jake Fraley went 3-for-5, while Jordan Romero tallied three RBIs for the Tigers.
Ole Miss scored four runs on eight hits off starting pitcher Jared Poche’, but right-hander Parker Bugg (0-2) suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs on two hits in two innings.
n In related news, Short and Alabama closer Thomas Burrows were named to the midseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, the organization announced Thursday afternoon.
Short, who was on the preseason watch list, entered Thursday with a 2-1 record, a 2.33 ERA, and six saves in 12 appearances.
Burrows, who also was on the preseason watch list, is 10-for-10 in save opportunities. In 14 appearances, he has allowed nine hits and one earned run. He has walked eight and struck out 28 in 16 1/3 innings.
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