Three days after Mississippi State struggled to come through in high-pressure situations offensively in a one-run loss to Troy, the No. 18 Bulldogs thrived with runners in scoring position in their 14-3, seven-inning victory over Rice on Friday at the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston.
MSU broke open a tight game in the seventh, collecting eight straight hits to score eight runs and end the game early via the run rule without recording an out. Aaron Downs led off the inning with a pinch-hit home run, and following a Bryce Chance double, Nolan Stevens hit a two-run shot to right. The Bulldogs kept adding on from there on a Dylan Cupp RBI double and a Ross Highfill two-run triple.
Ace Reese then hit a fly ball down the left-field line that dropped just behind the fence and landed in the Crawford boxes. His third homer of the season barely cleared the 315-foot marker in the left-field corner.
“I’m more pleased with the hitters getting some swings off, feeling good, walking out of here with a good feeling,” MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “The guy they started was really good. He challenged us early, had a really good fastball. We just couldn’t get on it. But we were able to get on some balls late.”
The Bulldogs (7-2) caught a break to score their first run in the second inning with Nolan Stevens at the plate, two outs and Noah Sullivan at first base. Stevens hit a fly ball to left field that was caught, but a balk was called on Owls starter Davion Hickson, so Stevens returned to the plate with Sullivan advancing to second. Stevens then blooped a single to center that scored Sullivan for a 1-0 MSU lead.
Reed Stallman gave the Bulldogs some insurance an inning later with a two-run single. MSU was 8-for-14 on the day with runners in scoring position.
“We’re usually a pretty good grind-it-out offense,” Lemonis said. “The hit by Stallman was huge there just to get us separated a little bit.”
Left-hander Pico Kohn was sharp on the mound for the third straight week, but he did issue his first walk of the season with two outs in the fifth and immediately paid for it when Hiram Bocachica hit a two-run homer. Kohn went 6 ⅓ innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
Rice (2-6) scored another run in the sixth, but the Bulldogs responded right away after both of those frames, padding their lead on a two-run single by Gehrig Frei. Since he broke into the starting lineup, Frei has eight hits over his last three games.
MSU continues its weekend at Daikin Park against a pair of Big 12 opponents, facing Arizona on Saturday and Oklahoma State on Sunday.
“(Frei) has been good,” Lemonis said. “He’s just been a bright spot. He’s getting his swing off, and that’s what we need. We need it from a lot of the guys.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
