STARKVILLE — Luke Hancock jogged down the first-base line, the ballpark roaring to life.
Hancock was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh inning Sunday against Alabama, bringing the Bulldogs within one run of the Crimson Tide and sending catcher Logan Tanner to the plate.
Barely a minute later, Tanner watched strike three sail by him, and Dudy Noble Field deflated.
Tanner went down looking on three pitches to quash further scoring in the seventh, Alabama added on in the ninth, and the Bulldogs’ recent late-inning magic promptly disappeared in a 6-2 loss to the Crimson Tide on Sunday in Starkville.
Mississippi State (15-10, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) left 10 runners on base and failed to sweep Alabama (14-11, 2-4 SEC) in the Bulldogs’ first home conference series of the year.
“For some reason or the other, we just didn’t show up and play great,” coach Chris Lemonis said. “Credit goes to Alabama, but you have to be better.”
MSU erased a two-run ninth-inning deficit Friday and a three-run lead in the ninth Saturday but couldn’t cut into a four-run lead heading into the final half-inning Sunday.
The Bulldogs scored in the first inning but did not score again until the seventh, largely held in check by Tide left-hander Grayson Hitt. Alabama’s Sunday starter was effective in six innings, giving up just four hits while walking four and striking out six.
Mississippi State loaded the bases with two out in the seventh on two singles and an error on a fielder’s choice, but reliever Antoine Jean quickly struck out Tanner after plunking Hancock, keeping the Tide in front by a run.
Alabama added some insurance in the ninth, plating three runs all with two outs. Cam Tullar gave up RBI singles to Zane Denton and Owen Diodati; Jackson Fristoe then ceded a base hit to Dominic Tamez to bring in another run and put Alabama up 6-2.
It was a deflating half-inning, but the Bulldogs maintained faith.
“I like to think that we have the same mindset going into the bottom of the ninth whether we’re down four or down one,” third baseman Kamren James said.
Mississippi State got off to a good start when pinch-hitter Von Seibert earned a leadoff walk, but Matt Corder flied out to the warning track and James hit into a fielder’s choice.
The Tide put a fitting capper on things when center fielder Caden Rose made a sliding catch on a ball that seemed like it was destined to drop in no man’s land and fuel the late-inning rallies that propelled the Bulldogs to victory. Instead, it was the third out and the game was over.
MSU left a runner on base in seven of nine innings, including two in the sixth as they missed a chance to tie things. Kellum Clark flied out to left as Rose collided with left fielder Tommy Seidl, who hung on for the third out.
“We’ve got to drive in some runs,” Lemonis said. “We just weren’t good offensively all day. … We just ran ourselves out of some innings sometimes, and we’ve got to be better.”
The same could apply to starter Cade Smith, who delivered a quality start with three runs in six innings but allowed six hits and walked three batters.
Alabama first baseman Drew Williamson touched Smith for an RBI single to tie the game in the second and a solo bomb over the right-field bleachers in the sixth.
Bryce Eblin hit an RBI double in the fourth inning off Smith to give Alabama its first lead before Williamson’s homer.
“I thought it was OK,” Lemonis said of Smith’s start. “I didn’t think it was his best start. He’s so competitive even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he still gives you a chance to win.”
But the Bulldogs couldn’t take advantage of having Smith on the mound and tiring out Alabama’s relief corps over the past two days.
“Going into the day having Cade Smith at home, and they had to use so much bullpen, you felt like we had a really good chance to win today’s game,” Lemonis said.
Instead, Mississippi State settled for a series win rather than a sweep. With a 3-3 record through two SEC series, the Bulldogs sit in a four-way tie for second in the SEC West.
MSU will play Memphis (12-8) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Asked what he hoped to see in the midweek matchup, Lemonis kept it simple: “Just win.”
“We just need to go in there and put up a winning effort, play good defensively, play good offensively and make pitches,” he said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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