STARKVILLE — The Morehead State baseball team used a 10-run ninth inning Tuesday night to rally past Mississippi State 13-8 at Dudy Noble Field.
“It’s a great win for our program at a school with tradition and was a national seed last year,” Morehead State coach Mike McGuire. “I can’t say enough about how we didn’t quit. We got out in front and then got behind, but I really liked our at-bats all night. We found a way to extend the game in the ninth by taking our free bases and getting some timely hits. It was one of those games where we got contributions from so many people.”
Trailing 8-3 in the ninth, pinch hitters Chase Teter and Michael Patrick started the rally with singles. The Eagles (3-2) drew five walks in the frame and also coaxed a balk from a Bulldog pitcher.
Sophomore shortstop Reid Leonard, who was 3-for-5 with five RBIs, got the scoring going with a bases-loaded walk issued by Blake Smith (0-1), who took the loss. Senior right fielder Will Schneider followed with another bases-loaded free pass and the Eagles trailed 8-5. Sophomore designated hitter Trevor Snyder then smacked a two-run double down the left-field line to score Leonard and pinch runner Brody Shoupe.
Junior first baseman Tyler Niemann gave his team the lead on a two-run single. Patrick added his second hit of the inning moments later to make it 10-8.
Sophomore Jake Hammon, who had pinch hit earlier, scored on a balk with runners at first and third. Leonard capped the inning with a two-run single.
“We decided to pinch hit with Chase and Michael to start the ninth, and when they went single-single, that turned the lineup over,” McGuire said. “When you look at it, (sophomore) Niko Hulsizer lined out for the first out and Will Schneider lined out for the final out. They weren’t easy outs. It wasn’t one guy tonight, everybody did something to help.”
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for MSU (3-2), which had a season-high 15 hits but allowed a season-high 14.
The Bulldogs erased a 1-0 deficit with a run in the third and a 2-1 deficit by scoring three times in the fifth. MSU expanded the lead with two runs in the sixth and eighth.
A Luke Alexander home run got the Bulldogs on the board in the third. The long ball again proved large in the fifth, as Cole Gordon hit a two-run shot and Tanner Poole had a solo home run.
Alexander became the first Bulldog this season with a multi-home run game when he hit a two-run shot in the sixth. In the eighth, Hunter Stovall led off things with a triple. Jake Mangum singled and stole second. A wild pitch brought home one run. A Ryan Gridley sacrifice fly scored the other.
Jacob Billingsley started and worked five innings, allowing five hits and two runs (both earned). He struck out six. Jacob Barton, Spencer Price, Blake Smith, Trey Jolly, Andrew Mahoney, and Trysten Barlow followed.
Mangum and Alexander had three hits. Poole and Stovall had multiple hits. Alexander drove in three runs.
Reid Leonard had three hits and drove in five runs for the Eagles. Cable Wright (1-0) threw the final three innings to get the win.
MSU will take on Indiana State at 4 p.m. Friday. Marist will take on Indiana State at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
n No. 22 Ole Miss 16, Arkansas State 4: At Oxford, Four freshmen dazzled on the mound, while the Rebels had 16 hits in their victory Tuesday night at Swayze Field.
The quartet of Will Ethridge (1-0), Houston Roth, Ryan Rolison, and Greer Holston combined for 19 strikeouts, the most by an Ole Miss pitching staff since a 16-inning game in 2015, and only two off the school record.
Ethridge had 10 strikeouts, the most by an Ole Miss freshman since 2007, and the most in an Ole Miss debut this century. Roth, another freshman making his first appearance as a Rebel, struck out five in two scoreless innings. Rolison and Holston closed the game with one inning apiece.
At the plate, junior Will Golsan led the way with a 4-for-5 performance that included four runs, three doubles, and two RBIs to help Ole Miss improve to 4-0. Freshman Thomas Dillard had a career-high three hits, while Nick Fortes and Kyle Watson posted multi-hit games. Nine Rebels recorded hits throughout the night, including the first in the career of freshman Bryan Seamster.
Ole Miss will take on North Carolina Wilmington, a NCAA Regional qualifier and defending champion of the Colonial Athletic Association at 4 p.m. Friday in Game 1 of a three-game series. All three game will be broadcast on SECN+.
n Southern Mississippi faces Alabama: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Southern Mississippi baseball team will take on Alabama at 6 tonight.
The game can be watched online at the SEC Network+ through the WATCHESPN service.
Southern Miss outscored Northeastern 31-12 last weekend to open the year with a three-game sweep. The Alabama contest marks the only contest of the first eight games that the Golden Eagles will play away from home.
Southern Miss will play host to Evansville t 6 p.m. Friday in Game 1 of a three-game series at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
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