TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Throughout its rough start to Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State struggled to pull out close games that were decided by the bullpens in the late innings.
That made Sunday’s 4-2 victory at No. 12 Alabama, which clinched the Bulldogs’ second straight series win, all the more important.
The trio of Karson Ligon, Chase Hungate and Nate Williams held the Crimson Tide without an earned run, and MSU scored all of its runs on three homers. Sawyer Reeves hit a two-run shot in the first for his second home run of both the weekend and the season, Ross Highfill gave the Bulldogs the lead with a pinch-hit solo shot in the seventh, and Ace Reese hit his 12th of the year in the eighth.
“How about that swing by Ross,” MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “He didn’t play a ton this weekend, he comes off the bench, and what a big swing. It just tells you his mind is in the right place and he’s fighting and ready to go. And then Ace Reese gives us a little more in the eighth. So it was two big swings.”
Pitching staff quiets strong Alabama lineup
Somewhat ironically, the only Bulldogs pitcher the Crimson Tide had a good deal of success against was Pico Kohn, MSU’s ace and Friday night starter. Kohn allowed three earned runs in just four innings of work, with Alabama star Justin Lebron doubling twice and homering once against him.
But although Stone Simmons scattered five hits in his four innings of relief, he struck out five batters without walking any and did not give up a run. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (22-14, 5-10 SEC) scored seven runs in the fifth and eventually ended the game an inning early with a 13-3, run-rule win.
Hunter Hines hit a two-run homer in the first after an RBI double by Reese, and Reeves added on with a solo blast in the third. Reeves, who finished the night 4-for-5, hit a two-run double in that big fifth inning and scored on Reese’s second RBI hit of the game. Bryce Chance and Joe Powell each added on with a two-run double of his own. The Crimson Tide used three pitchers in the inning, but none could stop the bleeding.
“Pico competed, and Stone was great, but how many big at-bats did we have?” Lemonis said. “They hit the home run and get some momentum, and we run right back out and put up a seven-spot. That’s what you have to do to put somebody away in this league.”
Evan Siary and Ben Davis each allowed two runs in four innings of Saturday’s 4-1 loss, and Williams picked up the hard-earned win in relief Sunday with 3 ⅓ hitless frames. MSU held Alabama (29-8, 8-7) to two hits in Sunday’s game, with both of the Crimson Tide’s runs scoring on sacrifice flies.
“Chase Hungate came in and really held us together in the middle, and then Nate Williams, best day as a Bulldog, I’d say. That was pretty dominant,” Lemonis said. “He was so efficient. We usually don’t throw him that long, but his pitch count was low.”
Missed scoring chances cost Bulldogs middle game
MSU’s only run Saturday came on Gehrig Frei’s leadoff homer in the first, an opposite-field fly ball that dropped just behind the 320-foot marker down the left-field line. The Bulldogs finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, with their best opportunity coming in the sixth. Noah Sullivan doubled and Hines hit a bloop single, but after a pitching change, Chance hit a hard ground ball right to Lebron at shortstop for an inning-ending double play.
In the ninth, Lemonis sent up Steven Spalitta and Michael O’Brien as pinch-hitters against Alabama closer Carson Ozmer, trying to stack left-handed batters. But neither little-used bench bat could come through as MSU stranded two runners on base.
“They were hitting their spots. They were making good pitches in certain spots, keeping us off balance,” Frei said. “We had a lot of guys put some good swings on the ball too, hit some baseballs hard, just right at people.”
The Bulldogs return home for a midweek game Tuesday evening against Southern, then host Florida for a three-game series starting Friday night. The series win in Tuscaloosa — against a Crimson Tide team that entered with a top-10 RPI — was big for MSU’s hopes of making it back to the NCAA Tournament.
“Those kids are staying with a good mindset and working hard, and the game rewards that,” Lemonis said. “It’s huge. It gets us back. Everybody knows we had a rough start. The reality is we have a good ball club and we can still do damage, and we get to play three of the (last five) series at home.”
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