STARKVILLE – Mississippi State baseball completed a sweep of Vanderbilt on Sunday, capping its first SEC series win of the season with a dominant offensive display. The Diamond Dawgs registered 19 hits in a 17-7 Game Three victory at Dudy Noble Field to complete the sweep and carry momentum into a big week of in-state action with Southern Miss coming to Starkville on Tuesday and an SEC series in Oxford next weekend.
The Bulldog bats got Vandy starter Tyler Baird out of the game after just 20 pitches, scoring three runs with no outs. Kevin Milewski added three more single-handedly with a three-run home run to make it a six-run first inning for the hosts. The visitors responded with three runs off of three solo home runs in the second inning, but MSU kept raking with two runs in the bottom half and another four in the third inning.
MSU kept adding runs, but Vanderbilt kept within reach with a three-run blast in the fourth and an RBI hit in the sixth, cutting the lead to 14-7.
Vandy’s submarine pitcher Jacob Faulkner came on to good effect in the fifth inning, but gave up a leadoff home run to Ryder Woodson in the sixth to make it six straight innings of MSU getting on the scoreboard. Bryce Chance got one more home to make it 16-7 heading into the seventh inning, putting MSU just one run away from ending the day early.
Tyler Pitzer made quick work of Vandy at the top of the seventh, and Reed Stallman got a leadoff double to start the home half, and had to stop at third on a single from Gehrig Frei. The opportunity to run-rule it nearly slipped away, but Bryce Chance delivered with a two-out RBI hit to wrap up the sweep.
MSU will face Southern Miss in midweek action at home on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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