STARKVILLE — Cody Freeman”s go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning Sunday lifted the Mississippi State baseball team to an 8-5 win against the University of Alabama in a Southeastern Conference game at Dudy Noble Field.
Freeman”s blast broke a 5-5 tie and highlighted a four-run eighth inning that helped MSU (25-18, 8-13 SEC) salvage the final game of the weekend series. MSU also snapped an eight-game losing streak against Alabama (28-19, 10-11).
With three weeks remaining, Alabama and Arkansas lead the SEC”s Western Division at 10-11, while Auburn and Ole Miss follow at 9-12. The Bulldogs trail that pair by one game, and lead sixth-place LSU by an identical margin. As it stands today, MSU is one game back of qualifying for the SEC tournament. The top eight teams in the conference standings will advance to Hoover, Ala.
“We hit the ball hard again today,” said MSU coach John Cohen, whose team regrouped from a pair of 5-4 losses, one in 10 innings, Saturday. “Some of them were still outs, but we got a few more to fall. We are right on the edge of knocking this door down. I say this all the time, but I really feel like we match up well with everyone from here on out. We ended the weekend almost where we started.”
Alabama sprinted to a 3-0 advantage thanks to a three-run home run by shortstop Jared Reaves against Kendall Graveman in the first.
MSU answered in the second when Brent Brownlee hit a two-run home run — his first of the season.
Graveman gave way to the bullpen with one out in the fifth. Alabama scored once in the fourth, but Evan Mitchell snuffed the Crimson Tide threat in relief an inning later.
In the sixth, an RBI single by Brock Bennett extended Alabama”s advantage to 5-2.
The Bulldogs rallied by scoring twice and then posting a series-best four-run eighth.
In the seventh inning, Freeman started things with an infield hit. Jarrod Parks reached as a hit batsman. A single by Nick Vickerson loaded the bases. Jonathan Ogden followed with a fly ball that was dropped by the right fielder. A ground ball out by Ryan Collins cut the deficit to 5-4.
An inning later, the Bulldogs took control for good.
In the ninth inning, the Crimson Tide stranded a pair as Caleb Reed came on to get the final two outs for his eighth save.
Freeman and Vickerson each had three hits to lead MSU. Collins, Brownlee, and Shepherd all had multiple hits. Parks extended his hit streak to 16 games, the longest MSU hit streak since 2007.
The Crimson Tide had 10 hits. Bennett and Austen Smith each had multiple hits.
Graveman allowed seven hits and four runs (all earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Mitchell (4-1) worked 3 2/3 innings in relief to garner the win. He allowed two hits and one run (unearned). Daryl Norris started the ninth inning before giving way to Reed.
Taylor Wolfe allowed seven hits and two runs (both earned) in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss. Wolfe struck out five and walked one. Nathan Kennedy, Adam Windsor, Josh Rosecrans, and Brett Whitaker followed in relief. Windsor (3-1) took the loss.
“This was one of the few games this year that our defense let us down, especially in the back end of the game,” Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard said. “For the most part we have done a good job when we have been in position to wins game late, but today we really broke down in the end and allowed them to have the big eighth inning. We kind of let this one slip away from us.”
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