MSU TEAM TOTALS
Batting average: .278 (59 doubles, 12 triples, 26 home runs, 265 RBI)
Team ERA: 3.45 (415.1 IP, 374 hits, 153 walks, 411 strikeouts)
Team fielding: .964 (1,246 putouts, 499 assists, 66 errors, 41 double plays)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Mississippi State got RBI on 2-3 hitting performances from both Krystal Tillman and Jennifer Jessup, with freshmen Lindsay Nelson (2-2) and Jennifer Waterman (1-1, RBI) adding perfect hitting performances at the plate. The Lady Razorbacks got lone hits from three different players.

Pursell (15-12) worked her 11th complete game of the season, surrendering just three hits and one walk and using just 81 pitches. Arkansas starter Rachel Talley (10-14) gave up seven hits and three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss for the Lady Razorbacks.

After stranding a trio of runners in the opening three frames, Mississippi State put a runner into scoring position with its first two at bats in the fourth, before using a RBI single by Waterman to plate Kasey Whitehead with the 1-0 lead. Jennifer Jessup followed with an RBI single that brought Kate Jaspers home from third. After Arkansas opted to load the bases with an intentional walk delivered to Kellie Wilkerson, Tillman laced an RBI single up the middle to plate senior Robyn Schlagheck with the 3-0 lead.

Arkansas recorded its first hit of the game on a leadoff single by Julie Hunter in the fourth, but struggled to find its bats.The Lady Razorbacks managed just five baserunners, but stranded all of them, including three in scoring position.

Mississippi State will return to action on May 10 when the Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2001 SEC Softball Tournament to be held at Jim Frost Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The Bulldogs clinched the fourth seed in the tournament with a pair of wins on Saturday and will play a first round matchup with either Florida or Arkansas at 6 p.m. on May 10.

Mississippi State 3, Arkansas 0
Arkansas 000 000 0 - 0 3 0
Mississippi State 000 300 x - 3 9 1
Talley, Schlichtman (4) and Howlett; Pursell and Schlagheck. W - Pursell (15-12). L - Talley (10-14). SB - Miss. State, Wilkerson 2 (34).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/28/01
Baseball - Florida erupted for six runs in the fifth inning and went on to claim a series-opening 11-4 win over No. 18 Mississippi State (28-16, 14-8 SEC) Friday night at McKethan Stadium. The win by the Gators (27-20, 11-11 SEC) snapped a season-best six-game win streak by the Bulldogs.

Aaron Davidson gave Florida a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with a solo home run and singled in a pair of runs during the Gators' six-run burst. MSU starter Paul Maholm (5-3) walked a batter, struck two and gave up three straight singles in the inning before leaving the game. He was charged with eight runs in 4-1/3 innings, his shortest SEC outing of the year.

Florida added two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to seal the win.

MSU scored first when Jon Knott legged out a triple and scored on an infield groundout by Steve Gendron. Jason Burkley singled in the sixth and scored the Bulldogs' second run on an infield groundout. Steve Gendron's eighth-inning single scored two runs in the eighth.

Keith Brice (2-3) silenced the Bulldogs on five hits during his season-longest 7-1/3 inning pitching performance. Matt Bomeisl replaced Brice in the eighth.

The series resumes Saturday at 7 p.m. (EDT) in Gainesville.

FLORIDA 11, MISSISSIPPI STATE 4
Mississippi State (28-15, 14-7 SEC) 010 001 020 --- 4-7-1
Florida (26-20, 10-11 SEC) 010 162 10x --- 11-12-1
WP --- Keith Brice (2-3). LP --- Paul Maholm (5-3). HR --- Peter Nystrom (5), Aaron Davidson (6).
A --- 1,669. Time --- 2:40.
Maholm, Papelbon (5) and Burkley. Brice, Bomeisl (8) and Rose.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/25/01
Baseball - No. 18 Mississippi State scored 11 runs in the first three innings and went on to record a 12-4 win over Alcorn State Tuesday afternoon in the opening game of a day/night doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field.

Phillip Willingham singled in two of his career-high four RBI in the first inning as MSU jumped to a 4-0 lead. ASU starter Audrey Hansbro (1-2) walked five batters in the inning and the first three batters faced in the second before being replaced by Tim Galloway. Jon Knott singled in a pair of runs in the second to tie former MSU standout Will Clark for sixth place among Mississippi State's career RBI leaders with 199.

Alcorn State (23-15) broke up the shutout with four runs on four hits in the fifth, one a two-run triple by Mario Willis. Jabulani Satcher had three hits to lead the Braves.

Freshman right-hander Jeff Lacher (2-0) picked up the win, striking out three and leading off MSU's split pitching crew with three innings of scoreless, two-hit pitching. Collins Hughes gave up four runs (one earned) during his three-inning middle relief appearance, while Jonathan Papelbon retired nine of the 10 batters he faced over the final three frames to earn his first career save.

In the second game of the day/night doubleheader, Matthew Maniscalco matched a career high with three hits and both Michael Brown and Brent Lewis drove in three runs Tuesday night as No. 18 Mississippi State closed out its 13-game homestand with an 11-0 seven-inning win over Mississippi Valley State at Dudy Noble Field. In the opener MSU took advantage of 16 walks to claim a 12-4 win over SWAC Eastern Division-leading Alcorn State. The wins extended MSU's winning streak to a season-best six games.

Mississippi State, tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference with LSU and Mississippi, travels to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend for a key three-game series with the Florida Gators. Friday's series-opener is set for 7 p.m. EDT.

Maniscalco doubled and scored during a three-run burst in the third inning, doubled and scored again in the fourth and singled in a run during MSU's six-run sixth-inning spree. Lewis drove in runs with a triple, a single and a sacrifice fly and plated three runs with a sacrifice fly in the third and a two-run single in the sixth.

MSU starter Joey Collums (2-3) worked four innings and combined with Ryan Carroll and Steven Dowe for a five-hit shutout. MVSU starter Shenard Garrett (0-3) took the loss, giving up 11 runs on 10 hits during his five innings of mound work.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 12, ALCORN STATE 4
ASU (23-15) 000 040 000 --- 4-7-1
MSU (27-15) 425 100 00x --- 12-7-1
WP - Jeff Lacher (2-0). LP - Audrey Hansbro (1-2). SV - Jonathan Papelbon (1). T - 3:09. A - 803.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 11, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 0
MVSU (12-33) 000 000 0 -0-5-2
MSU (28-15) 003 026 x-11-10-0
WP - Joey Collums (2-3). LP - Shenard Garrett (0-3). A -- 803. T - 1:55.
Garrett, Collins (6) and Robinson. Collums, Carroll (5), Dowe (7) and Burkley.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/24/01
Baseball
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (5-1)
Apr. 16 - MSU 17, Mississippi Valley State 7 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 17 - Southern Mississippi 6, MSU 2 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 18 - MSU 6, Southern Mississippi 4 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 20 - MSU 10, Kentucky 4 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 21 - MSU 9, Kentucky 4 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 22 - MSU 8, Kentucky 7 (Starkville, Miss.)

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Apr. 24 - MSU vs. Alcorn State (Starkville, Miss., 3 p.m.)
Apr. 24 - MSU vs. Mississippi Valley State (Starkville, Miss., 6:30 p.m.)
Apr. 27 - MSU at Florida (Gainesville, Fla., 7 p.m. EDT)
Apr. 28 - MSU at Florida (Gainesville, Fla., 7 p.m. EDT -- Sunshine TV)
Apr. 29 - MSU at Florida (Gainesville, Fla., 1:30 p.m. EDT)

Mississippi State enjoyed its most active and productive week of the season, winning five of six games played including a three-game SEC series sweep of Kentucky that has vaulted State into a tie for the lead in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs have now won seven of their last eight games and are 8-3 during the current homestand, which concludes with a day/night doubleheader Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field. The sweep of Kentucky was the second of the season for MSU, which opened league play in March by taking three from Auburn. State won its fourth consecutive SEC weekend series and its fifth in seven weekends of conference competition. MSU travels to Florida, hosts Alabama and visits Mississippi over the next three weekends.

NAMES AND NUMBERS: Junior second baseman Michael Brown (.320) has sparkled at the plate since his move to the leadoff position in the Bulldog batting order this week. Brown moved atop the MSU batting order for the MSU-Southern Miss series, and in five games has gone 10x23 (.435). Against Kentucky he hit .615 (8x13, double, triple and 3 RBI and walked twice), including a series-opening 4-for-4 outing ... Senior outfielder Phillip Willingham (.219) also carried the hot bat for the Bulldogs, hitting .556 (5x9) with a double, two home runs and seven RBI. Willingham legged out the team's first inside-the-park home run in Sunday's series finale against Kentucky ... Senior pitcher Josh Wooten (3-3, 1.82) picked up a win and his first save of the year the past week in three appearances. He allowed four base-runners and struck out seven in six innings of mound work. He earned his second consecutive Sunday win in the Kentucky series finale ... MSU registered its second consecutive walk-away Sunday win when Josh West's lead-off home run in the ninth gave MSU an 8-7 win over Kentucky ... Tanner Brock (6-1, 3.50) earned his fifth SEC win in as many decisions in Saturday's series-clinching 9-4 win over Kentucky.

MSU TEAM NUMBERS
Hitting: .283 (54 doubles, 10 triples, 24 home runs, 233 RBI)
PITCHING: 3.42 ERA (368.1 IP, 379 Ks, Opp. BA: .240)
FIELDING: .962 (1105 PO, 433 A, 60 E, 36 DP)

More Baseball
Riding a modest season-best four-game win streak, SEC tri-leader Mississippi State (26-15, 14-7) closes out a season-longest 13-game homestand with a day/night doubleheader Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field. The 18th-ranked Diamond Dogs test SWAC Eastern Division-leading Alcorn State (23-14) in a 3 p.m. matchup and then take on Mississippi Valley State (11-30) in a 6:30 p.m. nightcap. The twinbill, added to the schedule as makeups for early-season rainouts, concludes MSU's 13-game run of games at Dudy Noble Field and the Bulldogs' non-conference home schedule for 2001.

Season ticket holders should use the Game 21 ticket (Apr. 4 Troy State game) for admission to the doubleheader.

The Bulldogs, 19-10 at Dudy Noble field and 12-8 against non-conference opponents, will use a split pitching crew for both games of the doubleheader. Freshman right-hander Jeff Lacher (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make his second start in his third appearance of the year against the Braves while sophomore lefty Joey Collums (1-3, 4.26 ERA) is the designated starter for the nightcap.

MSU topped Mississippi Valley State 17-7 at Dudy Noble Field April 16.

Mississippi State has won seven of its last eight games and league series each of the last four weekends. State's sweep of Kentucky over the weekend was its second of the year and gives the Bulldogs five conference series wins in seven weekends of Southeastern Conference competition.

With three weekend's of play remaining, the Diamond Dogs own a share of the SEC and SEC Western Division lead. MSU is tied with divisional rivals LSU and Mississippi, all with 14-7 league records. Following the MSU-Florida series, State wraps up its home slate by hosting Alabama (May 5-6). MSU visits UAB (May 9) and Mississippi (May 11-13) to complete this year's regular season schedule.

A fourth straight SEC weekend series last weekend against Kentucky in Starkville helped boost Mississippi State further into the national rankings heading into the final weeks of the season.

MSU held on to its No. 18 ranking in Collegiate Baseball's ranking and climbed three spots to No. 22 in the Baseball America poll.

Junior second baseman Michael Brown has sparkled at the plate since moving into the leadoff position against Southern Miss April 17. The Vicksburg, Miss., native has 10 hits in 23 at-bats over the past five games, including an 8-for-13 weekend with five runs scored and three runs driven in against Kentucky.

Senior outfielder Phillip Willingham also warmed up at the plate, driving in seven runs during a 5-for-9 series against UK. The MSU co-captain from Mobile, Ala., legged out a double and a pair of home runs, one an inside-the-park smash.

MSU's other co-captain, senior outfielder Jon Knott, is nearing several key career milestones. He is three RBI away from passing former Bulldog and pro baseball great Will Clark and becoming the sixth Diamond Dog to drive in 200 runs in a career. He enters the week with 224 hits, 51 home runs and 197 RBI during his four-year career.

State travels to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend and opens an important three-game against Florida (26-20, 10-11 SEC) Friday at 7 p.m. (EDT).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/23/01
Baseball - Josh West lashed a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth Sunday afternoon to lift No. 18 Mississippi State (26-15, 14-7) to an 8-7 win over Kentucky (18-25, 5-16) and a sweep of the three-game series at Dudy Noble Field. It marked the second straight 8-7 walk-off win on Sunday for the Bulldogs, who closed out last weekend's series against South Carolina with a three-run blast, two-out blast with two out in the ninth.

"He had been throwing a lot of breaking balls to lefthanders," said West. "He threw the breaking ball for a strike on the first pitch and I didn't want to let him throw another one in there. Fortunately he threw a fastball away and I just got the good part of the bat on it. I didn't know it was gone until I got halfway around second base."

The win kept Mississippi State in a three-way tie for the lead in the Southeastern Conference with Western Division rivals LSU and Mississippi.

"Mentally, this win is a huge lift for this ballclub," said MSU senior outfielder Phillip Willingham. "We needed this win bad, mentally."

State trailed 7-4 in the sixth but scored three times with three hits off UK pitchers Rob Corrado and Joseph Blanton (2-4), helped along by a pair of Kentucky errors. Corrado gave up five runs on eight hits and struck out four during his five-inning start. Blanton retired six of the seven Bulldogs he faced in the seventh and eighth before West's home run to open the ninth.

"With Corrado and Blanton, Kentucky pitched the ball very well," said MSU coach McMahon. "To our guys credit, they kept battling and finding a way to keep us in the ballgame."

The Bulldogs, out-hit 15-12, jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Matthew Brinson singled and scored on an inside-the-park home run by Phillip Willingham. Kentucky's centerfielder Beau Moore made a running attempt to catch Willingham's deep fly but ran into the wall and suffered an injury. Before the other outfielders could get to the ball, Willingham rounded the bases for the inside homer.

Coming into the series, Willingham was in a season-long slump. With his two hits today, he batted .556 during the three-game series against Kentucky. "Baseball is a funny game. You can't ever give up," said Willingham. "You have to keep working hard. Mentally (when you are in a slump), you have to clear your mind and let it happen. If you keep your emotions on an even keel you will be alright."

Kentucky batted around in the third, getting two-run singles by Vince Harrison and Gordon Tyler to take a 4-2 lead and chase MSU starter Adam Larson from the game. The Wildcats picked up three consecutive two-out hits to score twice in the fourth. Jeff Tolloti lashed a home run off the scoreboard in right field and, following a single by Brad Pickrell, scored again on Vince Harrison's second double of the day for a 6-3 Kentucky lead. Seth Morris made it 7-4 Kentucky with a leadoff home run in the sixth, his team-leading 12th of the year.

But the Bulldogs chased Corrado from the game in the sixth during a three-run burst that included a run-scoring single by Michael Brown and an RBI double by Brent Lewis. State scored a third run scored on the first of two UK errors in the inning.

Wooten (3-3), the last of six Bulldog pitchers used in the game, struck out UK's Brad Pickrell with runners and second and third to end the eighth, and after the leadoff batter walked and was sacrificed over to second, struck out the next two batters to keep the game deadlocked. He no-hit Kentucky and struck out three over 1-1/3 innings to earn his second consecutive SEC Sunday win.

"I threw the curveball inside quite a bit today," said Wooten. "I would start the hitters off with either a fastball or a curveball. If I got two strikes I would throw the low fastball which is different, because I usually throw the curveball away. My main concern is to keep the ball down and let the movement work."

MSU catcher Jason Burkley commented on Wooten. "He has some pretty nasty stuff. I would rather catch him than bat against him. I turned around and batter lefthanded against him in the fall."

Brown, Lewis, West, Brinson and Willingham had two hits each to pace MSU's 10-hit showing.

Kentucky got three-hit plate performances from Pickrell and Harrison. Harrison doubled twice and drove in three of UK's seven runs.

"Kentucky is a great-hitting ballclub," said Willingham. "They hit some balls in some very opportune times for them today."

Several MSU hitters had solid three-game series. Leading the way was senior centerfielder Phillip Willingham with 5 hits in 9 (.556) official at-bats. He also scored 5 while knocking in 7. Junior second baseman Michael Brown was 8-for-16 (.500) with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI. Two other hitters, senior left fielder Jon Knott and redshirt freshman first baseman Matthew Brinson, each had 4 hits in 11 official at-bats (.364). Brinson also scored 3 runs and knocked in 3. Junior catcher Jason Burkley and freshman third baseman Steve Gendron both were 4-for-12 (.333) for the series. Burkley scored 2 runs while knocking in 3.

"Some guys early in the season were hot and some guys weren't and they picked them up," said Willingham. "Now some other guys are starting to pick it up."

Mississippi State has now won 9 of their last 11 SEC games and 8 of their last 10 games. Both SEC losses were by 1 run. "Everybody is starting to come together very well," said Josh West. "Phillip and Michael are hitting the ball well. We are a very good club."

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, closing out a 13-game homestand with a day/night doubleheader. MSU entertains Alcorn State at 3 p.m. and Mississippi Valley State at 6:30 p.m. Season ticket holders can use Game 21 (Troy State game) season tickets for admission to the final non-conference home games of the year for MSU.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 8, KENTUCKY 7
Kentucky (18-24, 5-15) 004 201 000 ---7-15-4
Mississippi State (25-15, 13-7 SEC) 021 013 001 --- 8-12-0

WP - Josh Wooten. LP - Joseph Blanton. HR - Phillip Willingham (3), Jeff Tolotti (2), Seth Morris (12), Josh West (4). T - 3:19. A - 3,887. Corrado and Brock. Larson, Young (3), Dowe (4), Carroll (6), Collums (8), Wooten (8) and Burkley.

Portions of this article were provided by the MSU Athletic Department

Sophomore Jennifer Nelson managed State's only hit of the contest, turning in a 1-3 showing at the plate. Kellie Wilkerson was the Bulldogs only other baserunner after the junior drew a walk in the top of the sixth. Every starter in Alabama's lineup managed a base hit with designated player Kelley Askew turning in a 2-4 performance to highlight the Alabama bats.

Mississippi State starter Kasey Whitehead (3-4) surrendered six runs on seven Alabama hits in two innings of work to take the loss for the Bulldogs. Crimson Tide starting pitcher Shelley Laird (28-2) gave up just a lone hit and struck out five Bulldogs to notch the victory.

Kelly Kretschman reached on a one-out triple in the first inning and was followed two batters later by a Ginger Jones homer that gave Alabama a quick 2-0 lead. Askew's RBI single two batters later gave 'Bama a 3-0 lead heading into the second.

Alabama would plate single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings by way of RBI at bats from Jackie McClain, Jones and Suzanne Olcott, before the Crimson Tide finished things off with a pair of runs in the sixth. Jones reached with the first at bat of the inning and was doubled home by an Angela Johnson double to right center. Lacy Prejean completed the multi-run inning with a bloop single to right field that plated Johnson from third.

Mississippi State will return to action on Wednesday when the Bulldogs wrap up a six-game roadtrip with a single game at Jacksonville State. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at University Field. The 'Dogs will return home this weekend to wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against Arkansas.

Saturday's doubleheader with the Lady Razorbacks will be preceded by senior day festivities for Mississippi State's 2001 senior class.

Alabama 8, Mississippi State 0 (6 Innings)
Mississippi State 000 000 - 0 1 1
Alabama 310 112 - 8 11 1
Whitehead, Pursell (1) and Brown, Schlagheck (3); Laird and Prejean. W - Laird (28-2). L - Whitehead (3-4). HR - Alabama, Jones (11). 2B - Alabama, A. Johnson (5). Note: 1 out, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/22/01
Baseball - #18 Ranked Mississippi State and Kentucky played the second game of their three-game SEC series on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon in front of 5,002 fans.

Mississippi State's began the game well with starting pitcher Tanner Brock shutting down Kentucky on two infield groundouts and a strikeout after allowing the leadoff batter on with a base hit. On the last out of the inning, MSU second baseman Michael Brown made a nice defensive play on a slowly hit ball that he made a running one-hop grab then threw to first all in one motion.

In the bottom of the first, Mississippi State jumped on Kentucky starter Bryan Felkel for two runs. Felkel, in his previous SEC start, had allowed no runs on 2 hits in a six-inning performance against Vanderbilt. After loading the bases on a hit by Enrico Jones, a fielder's choice to by Josh West and a walk to Jon Knott, the Bulldogs got a clutch, two-out single from redshirt freshman first baseman Matthew Brinson to knock in Jones and West making the score 2-0, MSU.

"(Felkel) was very good," said Jones. "He had three very good pitches that he had full command of but we found the holes today."

Kentucky, after being held scoreless in the first two innings, finally get on the scoreboard against Brock with two runs in the top of the third. Brad Pickrell lead off the inning with a walk, then moved to second base on a passed ball. Beau Moore knocked him in with an a single to centerfield. The single was errored by MSU centerfielder Phillip Willingham, which allowed Moore to move to second base. After moving over to third base on a groundout to short, Kentucky tied the game up when Moore was knocked in on a groundout by Vince Harrison.

"I was falling behind in the count," said Brock. "I don't think that I had my best stuff today but I think that I made some good pitches again and got out of some key situations."

Mississippi State came right back in the bottom of the inning to score two runs to go up 4-2. Brown and Jones started the inning off with singles and then Burkley loaded the bases when he was walked on a 3-1 count. Josh West knocked in Brown on a sacrifice fly to fairly deep right field. Jon Knott, on the first pitch, hit a shot to left field to knock in Jones. Matthew Brinson followed that with a pop-up base hit just inside the left field line. With men on first and second and one out, Steve Gendron hit a hot grounder to the second baseman that was turned into a inning-ending double play.

Tanner Brock, rebounding well after a shaky third, struck out the side in the fourth inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Mississippi State once again scored two runs to expand the lead to 6-2. Phillip Willingham led off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Matthew Maniscalco, trying to move Willingham to second with a sacrifice bunt, got on base when the pitcher threw the ball away at first when attempting to throw him out. With runners on second and third and no outs Kentucky brought in reliever Mark Michael to face Michael Brown. Brown, with his second hit of the day, knocked Willingham in. Brent Lewis, pinch-hitting for Enrico Jones, hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field that drove in base runner Maniscalco. That made the score 6-2, MSU.

Both pitchers would settle down after that and not allow either team to score in the fifth or sixth innings.

Tanner Brock ran into trouble in the seventh inning, putting the first three batters on base by way of a hit's batsman, a single and a walk. State brought in Brandon Medders to face Beau Moore. Moore, who was 2-for-3 up to this time, greeted Medders with an RBI single to the right side just out of the reach of a diving Matthew Brinson. The next batter hit a shallow fly ball to centerfield that the runner on third base could not score on. Vince Harrison then hit a fly ball to centerfield that MSU centerfielder Phillip Willingham made an outstanding, diving catch on while running toward left field. "I didn't know if I was going to have a chance at it," said Willingham. "I dove for it and caught it. Kentucky was attempting to make a run at that time. Coach Mac always says good teams play through other teams runs." The runner on third base, Cory Hahn, scored on fly ball to make the score 6 to 4. Medders then settled down and struck out the next batter on a called third strike.

"Phillip Willingham's catch in the seventh was huge," said MSU Coach McMahon. "That catch turned the game around completely."

Mississippi State, continuing to show good aggressiveness at the plate, came right back in their bottom of the inning to score three runs. After Josh West was called out on strikes, Jon Knott hit a double down the left field line, and then Matthew Brinson walked. After Steve Gendron grounded out to second base to advance the runners to second and third, Phillip Willingham, on a 2-2 pitch, hit a three-run home run over the right field fence to make the score 9-4. "I hit a fastball down and in," said Willingham. "They had been pitching me down and in all weekend but I had not been able to get the head of the bat around on it."

Neither team would score in the eight inning, although Kentucky would threaten in the top of the eight only to see their threat die when Medders struck out Bryan Pickrell with men on first and third.

Medders, earning his team-leading second save of the year, retired the Wildcats in the ninth to give MSU a 9-4 victory. During his three-inning performance he threw 31 of his 39 pitches for strikes.

"Brandon has been so valuable to our pitching staff because of two things," said Coach McMahon. "We have asked him to start games and to close games for us. He really competes for our ballclub and our guys have a lot of confidence when he is on the mound."

Mississippi State was led in hitting by Michael Brown, Enrico Jones, Jon Knott and Matthew Brinson with two hits each. Phillip Willingham, appearing to be coming out of his prolong slump, was 1-for-2 with his hit being a three-run home run. "Phillip has been a persistent young man and good things happen to those that are persistent," said MSU Coach McMahon. "Phillip brings a lot to the ballclub, not only on the field but in the lockerroom. Our players look up to him and that is an important quality."

Michael Brown, since being moved to the leadoff spot, has batted .444 (8-18) with two RBI.

Brown commented on why he has batted so well in the leadoff spot and about it being a new experience for him. "I'm getting a lot of fastballs to hit since the pitchers are trying to get ahead in the count. (In junior college) I always hit in the 3, 4 and 5 spot in the lineup and was more of a free swinger. Batting in the leadoff role, I can fight off counts and battle the pitchers."

Tanner Brock, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks, won his sixth game to improve to 6-1 on the season. Kentucky's starter, Bryan Felkel lost his first game of the season to fall to 3-1.

Mississippi State has now won 8 of their last 10 games. "We had some very frustrating losses early in the season and a lot of guys thought they had to carry the team on their shoulders," said Enrico Jones. "Now, we are all playing together and, in so many words, that is a roll and that is what we are on. The bottom line is we have to come out every day and play the same way."

Mississippi State and Kentucky will conclude their three-game series beginning at 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Other game tidbits:
Clarksdale High School's outstanding senior-to-be defensive back Darren Williams was at the game. Darren, in my opinion, will be one of the top two players in the state of Mississippi next season. The other top player will be Brandon High School's Jerious Norwood.

Kellie Wilkerson (2-2) and Kasey Whitehead (2-3) both turned in a pair of hits to highlight the Mississippi State offensive attack with Whitehead and Jennifer Nelson providing lone RBI for the Bulldogs.State starter Jennifer Pursell worked the first six innings of the contest, surrendering a pair of runs on five Alabama hits, before giving way to Wilkerson in the seventh. Wilkerson (8-1) took the loss for MSU after surrendering her first run in 42 innings of work this season.

Mississippi State struck the scoreboard quickly, getting a pair of runners into scoring position after consecutive hits and a successful double steal attempt in the first inning. Whitehead gave State its first lead of the day when she plated Wilkerson with a single through the left side. Jennifer Nelson's fielder's choice RBI extended the Mississippi State lead to 2-0 just five batters into the second frame.

After going scoreless through the first two frames, Alabama rallied for two runs in the third on a solo home run by three-time all-american Kelly Kretschman and a two-out RBI single by Suzanne Olcott to knot the score back up heading into the fourth.

In the opener of the twinbill, Alabama countered a productive start by Whitehead with a six-run sixth inning as the Crimson Tide rallied to post a 7-0 shutout of the Bulldogs.

Whitehead turned in a 2-3 performance at the plate against her former team to pace a paltry Bulldog offense, with freshmen Iyhia McMichael and Jennifer Jessup posting the Bulldogs' only other hits. Whitehead (3-3) worked the first five innings of the contest, surrendering three runs on six Crimson Tide hits, to take the loss for Mississippi State.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead with its first-inning at bat, the conference's top-hitting ballclub was held in check by Whitehead for the next four innings before a solo homer by all-american Ginger Jones triggered a sixth-inning rally by the Crimson Tide. Following Jones' homer off the scoreboard in left field, Alabama put a pair of runners on with one out for Lindsay Testa who put the Crimson Tide up 5-0 with a three-run dinger over the fence in leftfield.

An errant throw by Robyn Schlagheck on a pickoff attempt at second base, coupled with an RBI single by Kelley Askew, brought the final two runs of the game across the plate.

Mississippi State and Alabama will close out their series with a single game on Sunday at the Alabama Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Game 1 - #7 Alabama 7, Mississippi State 0
Mississippi State 000 000 0 - 0 4 2
Alabama 100 006 x - 7 11 0
Whitehead, J. Nelson (6) and Schlagheck; Laird and Prejean. W - Laird (26-2). L - Whitehead (3-3). HR - Alabama, Jones (10). 2B - Miss. State, Whitehead (3), Jessup (7) Alabama, Kretschman (7), McClain (10).

Game 2 - #7 Alabama 3, Mississippi State 2
Mississippi State 110 000 0 - 2 6 0
Alabama 002 000 1 - 3 6 0
Pursell, Wilkerson (7) and Schlagheck; Wright, Laird (7) and Prejean. W - Laird (27-2). L - Wilkerson (8-1). HR - Alabama, Kretschman (12). 2B - Miss. State, Whitehead (4).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/21/01
Baseball - After losing their last five Friday night SEC games, 18th ranked Mississippi State would remove the Friday night jinx by defeating Kentucky 10-4.

"Tonight was a big win for our ballclub," said MSU Coach Pat McMahon. "I thought it was a team effort."

Not only was winning the first game of the series very important but even more importantly was the win put MSU in a three-way logjam for the top spot in the West. With the Alabama and LSU Friday night losses, MSU, Mississippi and LSU now have identical 12-7 records.

"It is really tight and anybody's to win," said Willingham. "We just need to go out there and keep scraping and every once in a while hope that the other teams are losing."

Now, back to the Friday night game.

Kentucky started out the game by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off of first-time Friday night starter true freshman Paul Maholm.

"(Losing the other Friday night games) crossed out minds when they came out and scored those two runs," said Willingham. "We had some bad hops in the infield and didn't play really solid defense but we picked it up the next inning."

Mississippi State, now 24-15 on the season and 12-7 in the SEC, would answer their two runs by jumping on Kentucky starting pitcher Scott Wade for four runs in the bottom of the first inning behind the hitting of Michael Brown, Jason Burkley, Steve Gendron and Phillip Willingham.

Brown, who was recently moved to the top spot in the lineup, would start off the inning by getting a base hit. After Bent Lewis moved Brown to second base, Jason Burkley knocked him in with a single. Josh West walked, then, after two were out, Matthew Brinson got on base due to a passed ball on strike three. After Gendron knocked in West, Phillip Willingham knocked in West and Brinson to give MSU a 4-2 lead. Matthew Maniscalco hit a line shot to centerfield for the third out of the inning.

"I think a big key for us, after they scored the two runs, was to put up four runs," said McMahon. "It was a big help and we also expanded the lead."

In the meantime, Maholm, after a rough first inning and a shaky second, would shut the Wildcats down through the seventh inning. Due to a pitch count of 129, Coach McMahon would bring in reliever Chris Young in the eight. During Maholm's seven-inning outing, he would allow three runs on eleven hits, while walking one and striking out eight. He has now won 5 of his 6 SEC decisions.

"I just tried to keep us in the game," said Maholm. "Not very much was working for me tonight. I did what I could with what I had. I changed speeds a lot to try and keep them off-balance. (Kentucky) swings the ball pretty well. They are very aggressive and put the ball in play."

While Maholm saw his outing one way, MSU junior catcher Jason Burkley saw a different Maholm. "He kept his composure. I could see where he could have gotten frustrated because the defense wasn't making the plays behind him. But he kept throwing strikes and kept his confidence in the guys playing behind him. He has such good movement and has so many good pitches that he can go out there every night and be productive."

Mississippi State would solidly put the game away with runs in the fifth and seventh innings to make the score 10-3. Kentucky would make a little noise in the top of the ninth by scoring one run against Chris Young to make the final score 10-4.

Junior second baseman Michael Brown went 4-for-4 and scored three runs as MSU rocked four Kentucky pitchers for 15 hits. "(Coach McMahon) put me in the leadoff spot for the past week and I am feeling pretty comfortable there," said Brown. "I am trying to stand up so that I can see the breaking ball and drill the ball."

Jason Burkley singled in the Bulldogs' first run in the first inning and capped a 3-for-5 plate performance with an RBI double in the seventh. Phillip Willingham also had a good night at the plate by going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI.

"It feels good to get a couple of hits," said Willingham. "The main thing is that I was able to produce for the team and help us get the win. That was the most important thing."

Willingham, who was batting .197 coming into the game, has been in a season-long slump. "It has been hard to come out with a positive attitude every day but I am surrounded by a bunch of people who are very positive, people like my teammates, my coaches and my family. They have been nothing but supportive and have told me to keep my head up and continue swinging."

Starter Scott Wade (3-7) took the loss, giving up 11 hits and eight runs before leaving the game in the fifth. Wade, one of the better pitchers in the SEC, came into the game with an ERA of 2.87. Teams were hitting .255 against him.

"(Wade) did a really good job against us but we were able to take advantage of some opportunities early which got us the lead early," said Willingham.

Catcher Morgan Embry singled in a pair of runs in the first inning to lead the Wildcats.

MSU and Kentucky will play the second game of the series Saturday at 4 p.m. Mississippi State will start junior righthander Tanner Brock.

"We will come into the game with a lot of confidence because we have Tanner pitching," said Willingham.

04/20/01
Baseball - According to Coach McMahon, true freshman lefthanded pitcher Paul Maholm will start the Friday night game while junior righthanded pitcher Tanner Brock will start the Saturday afternoon game. I suspect MSU will start Joey Collums or Brandon Medders the Sunday game.

Baseball signee info:
Here is a little more info on MSU baseball signee Jamie Gant, a pitcher/position player from Winona HS. Earlier in the year, Jamie threw a no-hitter and struck out 12 of 15 batters against Bruce in a game that lasted 5 innings. My source also told me the name of the 10th grade pitcher from Eupora HS who threw in the high 80's and low 90's against Winona a few days ago. He is Cliff Davis.

McMichael had three RBI on a 2-4 performance at the plate to highlight the Mississippi State offense, with Jennifer Jessup adding a pair of hits on a 2-4 performance. Mississippi State starter Kasey Whitehead gave up just one hit in 8 1/3 innings of work, but gave way to Wilkerson with one out in the ninth. Wilkerson retired the final five Georgia Tech batters of the game to record her eighth win of the season and run her scoreless streak to 40 1/3 innings.

Mississippi State got two-out singles in each of the first two innings, but was twice retired by Tech starter Erin Voeltz on a groundout to third base and a fly out to right field, respectively, to strand the runners. Wilkerson doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch for the Dogs in the third frame, then scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Jennifer Nelson to take a 1-0 lead.

Whitehead went perfect through the first three innings before Tech's Kori Jacobson reached safely courtesy of a muffed throw by first baseman Kate Jaspers in the fourth. After a sacrifice bunt by Jamie Frost which moved the runner into scoring position, Kori Jacobson tied the score at one apiece with an RBI triple under the glove of Kellie Wilkerson in centerfield. State put together a two-out rally in the sixth, getting Jennifer Jessup and Wilkerson on by way of a hit through the left side and a walk, but Voeltz escaped the threat when she got Jennifer Nelson on a groundout to second base. State, again, put a runner in scoring position in the sixth, using a fielding error by shortstop Tara Knudsen and a sacrifice bunt by Whitehead to move McMichael to second, but Voeltz got out of the jam, retiring Lindsay Nelson and Blaire Brown on consecutive flyouts.

The Bulldogs got a one-out single by pinch hitter Anna Joyce Lott in the seventh, then put a pair of runners on with two outs courtesy of an intentional walk to Wilkerson, but Georgia Tech retired Jennifer Nelson on an RBI groundout to cancel out the scoring threat. Mississippi State retired the Yellow Jackets in order in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings and put the international tiebreaker rule in effect. After neither team could score in their first two respective frames, Mississippi State loaded the bases with its courtesy runner and its first two at bats.

In the opener of the twinbill, Whitehead's seventh-inning RBI single scored Jennifer Nelson with the go-ahead run as the Bulldogs used its 13th double-digit hitting performance of the season to defeat Georgia Tech, 3-2.

Three different players recorded hits for the Bulldogs with freshmen Kate Jaspers and Jennifer Jessup turning in 2-2 showings. Bulldog starter Jennifer Pursell worked the first 5 1/3 innings, surrendering a pair of earned runs on five Yellow Jacket hits, before giving way to Kellie Wilkerson with one out in the sixth. Wilkerson (7-0) shut down the last five Georgia Tech batters, striking out one, to stretch her scoreless inning streak to 38 2/3 innings.

Georgia Tech wasted no time backing State into a corner, using a pair of hits and a two-out walk to load the bases in the bottom of the first, then took a 1-0 lead courtesy of an Ellen Styer RBI single through the left side. The Dogs got three hits with its first four at bats to load the bases in the second frame, then knotted the score back up on a deep fly ball by way of Jennifer Jessup's bat to score Lindsay Nelson from third.

State's Kate Jaspers drew a two-out walk in the third, then used a Jessup hit down the right field line to move to third, but the Yellow Jackets escaped the inning, getting Jessup out on the play after the redshirt freshman tried to stretch her single into extra bases. Wilkerson doubled and stole third to lead off the fifth, then scored on a two-out single down the leftfield line by Waterman to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Tech nearly matched the run in the bottom of the frame, getting Jennifer Biggers into scoring position on a leadoff single and a sac bunt, but Pursell got out of the inning on a groundout to second base.

State nearly extended its lead in the top of the sixth, using three hits to get as many baserunners, but Tech caught senior Robyn Schlagheck stealing second, then used a foul out by Wilkerson to retire the sides and escape the scoring threat. Georgia Tech mounted a rally in the bottom of the frame, getting leadoff batter Hawley aboard on a double to left center, before tying the score back up on a fielder's choice RBI with one out showing.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday when the squad travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three-game set with #6 Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will begin their set in a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games of the series will be played at the Alabama Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Alabama.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/19/01
Baseball - No. 18 Mississippi State (23-15) scored four runs in the bottom of the first en route to a 6-4 win and a series split with Southern Mississippi (20-21) Wednesday night at chilly Dudy Noble Field Polk-Dement Stadium.

Freshman starting pitcher Jarrad Robinson (2-1) retired the first batter before the next six Bulldog batters reached base on a pair of infield singles, a hit batsman and three walks, two with the bases loaded. He was charged with all four runs during his 1/3-inning stint. Bob McCrory, who retired the two batters he faced to end the first-inning Bulldog rally, struck out five and scattered five hits during a season-longest 6-2/3 inning pitching performance.

"I really like McCrory," said MSU coach Pat McMahon. "He has a good arm and has a good hard slider. He has a chance to have a wonderful career (at Southern Miss)."

Junior right-hander Brandon Medders (5-1) worked four solid innings for State, allowing one hit while striking out five to earn the win.

"I felt that I had two good pitches, my fastball and my slider," said Medders. "I didn't really have to get my slider over the plate that much because they chased a lot of balls down. I threw a changeup a few times. This year I have thrown a lot more sliders and changeups than in the past. My strikeout pitch tonight were both of my pitches."

Coach McMahon was very impressed with Medders' performance and explained why he only pitched him for four innings. "Brandon pitched outstanding tonight. I thought he got the game under control very well. He is a good pitch maker. He is locating his breaking pitch and he is throwing with confidence. We only pitched him a few innings so that he could be used for the SEC weekend."

The Eagles rallied from a 6-0 deficit, scoring twice in the sixth and eighth innings. But Josh Wooten, the fifth Bulldog pitcher in the game, retired four of the five batters he faced, two by strikeouts, to earn his first save, MSU's third this season.

"I wanted to get out there today to redeem myself for yesterday's performance," said Wooten. "I trusted my changeup and hit my spots. My strikeout for lefties is usually a changup away and for righties it is a curveball away."

While Josh did not feel that he pitched that well the night before, MSU DH Brent Lewis has been impressed with Josh's preformance this season. "Josh is one of the toughest pitchers that I have ever seen against right-handed hitters," said Lewis.

Brent Lewis went 2-for-4 and scored three runs to pace MSU's eight-hit attack. Josh West and Steve Gendron also had two hits for State.

"At the first of the year I was chasing a lot of bad pitches and getting myself out." said Lewis. "The last couple of weeks I have been swinging at good pitches."

Coach McMahon is impressed with Lewis' improvement as the season has gone on. "Brent is an outstanding hitter. He has worked so hard at understanding patterns that guys are using to try and get him out. That is what is so important for him to understand to be successful. He also uses all parts of the field."

Coach McMahon was also happy to see senior Josh West come through last night. "He used all parts of the field tonight. Josh is a guy who can really carry a club. He is a run producer."

Michael Artman singled twice to lead Southern Miss.

Mississippi State opens a three-game SEC series with Kentucky Friday in a 6 p.m. game televised regionally by FOX Sports Net South. Southern Miss opens a C-USA home series against Tulane Friday at 6:30 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 6, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 4
USM (20-21) 000 002 020 --- 4-6-3
MSU (23-15) 410 100 00x --- 6-8-3
WP --- Brandon Medders (5-1). SV --- Josh Wooten (1). LP --- Jarrad Robinson (2-1). TIME --- 2:30. ATT --- 1962. Robinson, McCrory (1), Rogers (8) and Welch. Medders, Carroll (5), Dowe (6), Young (6), Wooten (8) and Parks.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU Athletic Department

Although it is the third time that the two teams have met each other, Thursday's date will mark the first time in the history of the series that the teams have faced one another in a doubleheader and will mark the second time that State has travelled to Atlanta. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 2-0, having taken a 5-0 decision in 1999, while defeating Tech 3-2 last season in Starkville.

Coming off a 6-5 homestand, the Bulldogs will travel to face a very circle-heavy Tech squad that has relied mainly on its 1.40 staff ERA for it successes this season. Erin Voeltz (11-13, 1.81 ERA) is the ace of the Yellowjacket staff, having struck out 103 batters in 158 2/3 innings of work this season.

The Tech hitting, paced by Tara Knudson's .284 clip with five home runs and 12 RBI, carries a team .221 clip with the Yellojackets falling victim to strikeouts in 161 of their team total of 1,074 at bats (15%) in the campaign. Georgia Tech has attempted 37 stolen bases this season and has been successful on 25. The Yellowjackets also have a team on-base percentage of .274.

However, Georgia Tech's story could come from its defense which turns in a paltry .949 fielding percentage, having accounted for 73 errors this season in 1,348 chances. Although its pitching staff has surrendered 114 runs this season, 55 of them have been of the unearned variety.

Coming off a three-game weekend sweep of Auburn, Mississippi State continues to be led by two-time all-american Kellie Wilkerson who will celebrate her 21st birthday against the Ramblin' Wreck.

Wilkerson currently carries a .429 clip into Atlanta to go along with her Southeastern Conference-leading 13 home runs and 32 RBI. The junior also serves as the pitching staff closer (6-0, 0.00) and will carry a 37-game scoreless inning streak into Thursday.

State will likely match up staff ace Jennifer Pursell (13-12, 2.12) against Mimi Utt (2-2, 2.55) in Thursday's opener, with the Bulldogs sending Jennifer Nelson (3-4, 3.00) against Voeltz in the nightcap.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/18/01
Baseball - Clint Stoy lashed a bases-loaded triple in the fifth to spark Southern Miss (20-20) to a 6-2 win over No. 18 Mississippi State (22-15) on a chilly Wednesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

MSU starter Adam Larson (2-4) faced the minimum and registered four of his five strikeouts over the first four innings but quickly ran into problems in the fifth. He walked the first two batters he faced and loaded the bases on a Bobby Garner single before Stoy's three-run triple into the right-center field gap. Allen Winningham then doubled in Stoy to complete the four-run scoring burst.

"Two leadoff walks opened the door and came back to haunt us," said Coach McMahon. " You have to give Southern a lot of credit. They took advantage of that situation."

Chris Young, Joey Collums and Josh Wooten pitched the final 4.2 innings for State.

Jeff Cook doubled and scored in the sixth and doubled in another run in the seventh to give the Golden Eagles a 6-1 lead.

The Bulldogs got a pair of singles and a run-scoring wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead off USM starter Daniel Stewart (3-3) in the first inning. Backed by sterling defensive play, Stewart settled down, blanking State with two-hit pitching over the next six innings. "The young man threw breaking balls in all counts," said Coach McMahon. "He threw three quality pitches in the strikezone."

MSU got back-to-back singles off Stewart in the eighth and a two-out RBI single from Jon Knott. Relief pitcher Stephen Castleman then entered the game, walking a batter before retiring pinch hitter Robby Goodson on an excellentely played infield groundout, one of many great defensive plays. He finished the game to earn his fourth save.

"They made some outstanding defensive plays," said Coach McMahon. "The key for them were the five defensive plays they made were all in run-producing situations. We loaded the bases late and they made a heck of a defensive play. When you are making plays like that good things happen for you."

Michael Brown and Brent Lewis, the first two hitters in the Bulldog batting order, combined for five of State's seven hits.
"Michael has been swinging the bat well," said Coach McMahon. "He is a hard-working young man who is coming into his own as an offensive player. Brent Lewis keeps getting better and better. He is going to be an outstanding hitter."

MSU and USM conclude their two-game set Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. before opening a three-game SEC weekend series against Kentucky Friday at 6 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field.

"Brandon Medders may start for us Wednesday," said Coach McMahon. "Ryan Carroll is another pitcher that we will try to use. I'm really not sure on a starter. We will try and split the game."

SOUTHERN MISS 6, MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
USM (20-20) 000 041 100 --- 6-7-1
MSU (22-15) 100 000 010 --- 2-7-0
WP - Daniel Stewart (3-3). LP --- Adam Larson (2-4). SV --- Stephen Castleman (4). ATT --- 2,081. TIME --- 2:39.
Stewart, Castleman (8) and Welch. Larson, Young (5), Collums (6) Wooten (6) and Burkley.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU Athletic Department

04/17/01
Baseball - MSU baseball is ranked 18th in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, and 25th in the latest Baseball America poll.

Catcher Lee Parks, making his first career start, went 3-for-5 to pace the 18th-ranked Bulldogs, who pounded out 16 hits against three Mississippi Valley State pitchers. Jon Knott belted his third home run in two days, a two-run smash that gave MSU a 10-1 lead in the fifth.

Freshman lefty Jeff Lacher (1-0) got the win with four innings of two-hit pitching. Lacher fanned four, as did two other MSU freshmen hurlers, Todd Nicholas and Collins Hughes. Hughes picked up his first career save with three innings of game-closing work.

MVSU starter Torrione Carter (2-5) took the loss. He walked seven, gave up 10 hits and was charged with 10 runs, four of them earned, during his six-inning outing.

The Bulldogs resume their homestand and open a two-game set against instate rival Southern Mississippi (19-20) Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

MSU 17, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 7
Mississippi Valley State (11-27) 000 103 003 --- 7-7-6
Mississippi State (22-14) 213 220 70x --- 17-16-1
WP --- Jeff Lacher (1-0). LP --- Torrione Carter (2-5). SV --- Collins Hughes (1). TIME: 2:44. ATT: 832. HR --- Jon Knott (8). Carter, Rogers (7), Goodman (8) and Robinson. Lacher, Nicholas (5), Hughes (7), Parks and Hope.

04/16/01
Baseball - Jon Knott belted a pair of three-run home runs Sunday, the second with two out in the bottom of the ninth to lift Mississippi State (21-14, 11-7) to a dramatic 8-7 win over No. 10 South Carolina (29-11, 9-9 SEC) at Dudy Noble Field. With the win the Bulldogs claimed their third consecutive SEC weekend series and their fourth in six weekends of league play and earned their sixth win in 10 games this year against teams ranked in the top 10.

Even though fans like me were hopeful, we also knew it was probably too much to ask for a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a 1-2 count on the batter, but the Bulldog players weren't thinking that way in the dugout.

"We had been talking about believing in each other," said Bulldog second baseman Michael Brown. "We have belief in each other. I knew something good was going to happen."

After Knott hit the home run, the fans went wild but they weren't the only ones.

"It was just a rush of adrenalin throughout the dugout," said MSU reliever Josh Wooten, the winning pitcher. "Coach Mac was out there holding us all back to make sure we didn't touch Jon before he touched home plate. We were so excited we wanted to tackle him coming around the bases. The umpires could call him out if someone touched him before he touched home plate."

Knott, who gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead with a three-run blast in the first inning, drilled a two-out, 1-2 pitch by Gamecock relief pitcher Blake Taylor (2-2) over the right field fence. Brent Lewis reached on a one-out single, catcher Jason Burkley was struck by a pitch and Josh West lined out to right to set the stage for Knott's game-winner.

"I got a couple of good pitches to hit today," said Knott. "I'm real proud that the wind was blowing out. I hit a slider on the second home run and a fastball on the first home run."

All eight Bulldog runs came off home runs. Michael Brown's two-run home run in the seventh gave MSU a 5-4 lead.

"The guy left his slider up and I got the good part of the bat on it," said Brown.

South Carolina, which leads the SEC in home runs, got a two-run home run off MSU starter Tanner Brock in the third and a solo shot by Drew Meyer in the seventh. Brock, who scattered eight hits and struck out seven in seven innings, walked a pair of batters and hit another before being replaced in the eighth by Josh Wooten (2-3).

"I didn't feel like I had my best stuff today," said Brock. "I guess I was a little off but I also made some big pitches. (In the eight) I guess I was just leaving my arm a little bit behind. I struggled a little bit today but (Knott and Brown) picked me up."

Coach McMahon talked about Brock's performance. "You have to give South Carolina credit. They are a very good offensive club. (Tanner Brock) competed for us. Our players have a lot of confidence in him."

Wooten came close to preserving the 5-4 MSU lead, striking out the first two batters he faced. But he hit Meyer with a pitch to tie the game at 5-5 and Bryon McBeth followed with a bloop single in shallow left field to score two more runs for a 7-5 USC lead.

"I had (McBeth) set up for the outside curve ball but it ended up being an inside curve ball," said Wooten. "It jammed him but he still got the bat on the ball and knocked two runs in. That was very disappointing to me."

Taylor, the last of four USC pitchers in the game, worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the Bulldog seventh and stranded two more Bulldog base runners in the eighth. Knott's blast was the second hit allowed during Taylor's inning of work. Gamecock pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts, six by Lee Gronkiewicz, who three-hit the Bulldogs during his 4-1/3 inning pitching stint after replacing USC starter David Marchbanks in the second.

"(Gronkiewicz) was throwing a combination of big breaking balls and a slider," said Brown. "He seem to get tired late. His velocity went down on his fastball. We really started looking for his breaking ball."

McBeth went 3-for-5 with a double and his 11th home run and drove in four runs to lead South Carolina. Knott, who had a career-high six RBI, and Lewis had two hits apiece to pace the Bulldogs at the plate.

"What a clutch job (by Knott)," said Coach McMahon. "When Jon uses all parts of the field (both home runs were hit to right field), he is an outstanding hitter. I am very proud of his leadership roll."

Coach McMahon talked about the effect of having played a 4+ hour afternoon/evening game on Saturday and then having to come back out the next day and play an early afternoon game.

"People need to understand that last night's game, with all the delays and the emotional aspects of the game, makes it very, very tough on both teams. Those kids laid it all on the line last night. They were on the field at 1:30 Saturday afternoon, then didn't get off until about 9:45 last night. And they were working their tails off the entire time. They are out there taking (batting practice) and taking fielding practice. The next day of the series can be very draining on the kids. I think that some of the plays you saw (Sunday) was a result of that."

Mississippi State continues its 13-game homestand Monday, playing host to Mississippi Valley State at 6:30 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 8, SOUTH CAROLINA 7
South Carolina (29-11, 9-9 SEC) 002 010 130 --- 7-9-1
Mississippi State (21-14, 11-7 SEC) 300 000 203 --- 8-8-2
WP ---Josh Wooten (2-3). LP --- Blake Taylor (2-2). HR --- Drew Meyer (3), Marcus McBeth (11), Jon Knott-2 (7). TIME: 2:55. ATT: 2,011. Marchbanks, Gronkiewicz (3), Price (7), Taylor (8) and Powell and Whittaker. Brock, Wooten (8) and Burkley.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU Athletic Department

McMichael turned in a 2-4 performance at the plate with three RBI and a run scored to pace the Bulldog offense, with Jennifer Nelson (2-4) turning in State's only other multi-hit performance. Auburn designated player Martha Phillips turned in a perfect 3-3 showing with three doubles to pace the Tiger bats. Ashley Moore collecting a pair of RBI on a two-run homer in the third for Auburn.

Mississippi State starter Jennifer Nelson surrendered two earned runs on five hits before giving way to ace Jennifer Pursell with one out in the third. Wilkerson (6-0) worked the final two innings of play, striking out four Auburn batters while giving up just a single hit, to earn her sixth victory of the campaign. Auburn starter Lily DuBois (6-4) surrendered four earned runs on seven Mississippi State hits to take the loss for the Tigers.

The series sweep marked the fourth conference sweep of the season for the Bulldogs, who clinched a berth in the SEC Softball tournament with a pair of wins over Auburn on Saturday. Wilkerson's two innings of work stretched her scoreless streak to 37 full innings. The two-time All-American has allowed just six hits while striking out 38 batters in 37 innings of work this season. The Bulldogs have now won eight games this season in their last at bat.

State wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard, getting Wilkerson aboard with a leadoff walk before McMichael belted a two-run home run with the third at bat to give the Bulldogs a quick 2-0 lead. Auburn answered in the top of the second, using a one-out double by Martha Phillips to set the table for Moore's two-run dinger to right center.

State regained the lead in the third on an RBI double by Lindsay Nelson that scored Jennifer Waterman from first, but the Tigers knotted the score back up in the top of the fifth on a run-scoring double by Jen Kraemer. With one out in the sixth, Wilkerson laced a single to left center, then stole second and third base to set the scene for McMichael's game-winning hit.

Mississippi State will return to action on Thursday when the 'Dogs travel to Atlanta for an afternoon twinbill against Georgia Tech. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Glenn Field on the Georgia Tech campus.

Mississippi State 4, Auburn 3
Auburn 002 010 0 - 3 10 0
Mississippi State 201 001 x - 4 7 0
DuBois and Martin; J. Nelson, Pursell (3), Wilkerson (6) and Brown. W - Wilkerson (6-0). L - DuBois (6-4). HR - Miss. State, McMichael (5) Auburn, Moore. 2B - Auburn, Kraemer, Phillips 3.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/15/01
Baseball - Freshman Steve Gendron's bases-loaded single drove in the winning run in the 11th inning Saturday as Mississippi State (20-14, 10-7 SEC) nipped South No. 10 South Carolina (29-10, 9-8 SEC) at Dudy Noble Field. The game lasted four hours and thirty-two minutes and included 69 minutes of weather delays.

"He threw me a slider when I had two strikes and I hit it up the middle," said Gendron. "Michael Brown and Chad Henry had played against the guy before. They told us all that he threw were sliders; that was his main pitch."

The teams meet Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the "rubber game" of their three-game series.

The game featured a dandy pitching duel between starters Chris Spigner of South Carolina and MSU freshman Paul Maholm. Spigner allowed three runs on three hits and struck out six in seven strong innings, while Maholm gave up three runs on five hits and struck out a staff season-high 13.

"(Paul) pitched a great game," said MSU reliever Brandon Medders. "Because of the rain, the mound had to be slick. I know it had to be difficult for him to pitch because of that, but he did a great job. They had one big inning."

Maholm also talked about his performance.

"Coming in I knew that my pitches were working probably the best that they have been all year. I was getting some strikeouts and I really haven't been getting that many all year. Today I was throwing it where I needed to. Every pitch was working today. I spotted my fastball and both of my breaking balls were working. All three of my pitches were my strikeouts pitches today."

Maholm threw 136 pitches during the game but that didn't seem to bother him during his last few innings. "The rain delay kind of re-energized me and I was feeling good even when I came out," said Maholm. "It usually doesn't take a lot of effort when I throw because I have a fluid motion. Because of that, it doesn't take much out of me when I throw that many pitches."

Josh West singled in a run and Matthew Brinson added a sacrifice fly to give MSU a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Two innings later USC jumped into the lead after Maholm walked a pair of batters and then gave up a two-out three-run blast by Garris Gonce.

State used a pair of walks, a single and a sacrifice fly by Steve Gendron to tie the score at 4-4 in the seventh.

Brandon Medders (4-1) replaced Maholm in the ninth, working into and out of a jam that inning and registering three strikeouts in three innings of one-hit, shutout pitching.

"I thought Brandon Medders pitched extremely well," said MSU Coach Pat McMahon.

Medders also talked about his performance.

"I felt real confident," said Medders. "My slider was going over the plate very well. I felt like I was getting (my slider) by them pretty good. The defense played behind me very well. Jon Knott made an awesome catch and so did Matthew Brinson."

Knott talked about his catch of the line drive in left center field with one man on and none out in the top of the ninth.

"I got a pretty good jump on it," said Knott. "Coach moved us in because the guy was trying to bunt earlier in the count. Then he pulled back and slashed. As soon as I turned around - it was hard to get your footing because of it was so wet - I saw (the runner) on second base and threw it to the cutoff man."

Coach McMahon also commented on Knott's play. "I thought it was a big play in the game."

USC relief pitcher Brett Price replaced Spigner in the eighth and retired the first eight batters he faced before giving up a pair of two-out singles in the 10th. He was replaced by Blake Taylor (2-1), who walked a batter to load the bases but got out of the jam when he retired Josh West on a fly ball to the shortstop.

Taylor was not as fortunate in the 11th. He gave up a leadoff single by Jon Knott, who advanced to third on a single by Matthew Brinson. Taylor fanned Michael Brown and walked pinch-hitter Robby Goodson to load the bases, setting he stage for Gendron's game-winning single up the middle.

The win was MSU's second in four extra-inning battles this season and kept the Bulldogs tied with Alabama for third place in the SEC West and in a four-way tie for third in the SEC's overall standings.

"I really want to credit our fans for staying with us and helping to pull us through," said McMahon. "The positive comments really helped these young guys."

MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, SOUTH CAROLINA 3 (11 inn.)
USC (29-10, 9-8 SEC) 000 003 000 00 --- 3-6-0
MSU (20-4, 10-7 SEC) 000 200 100 01 --- 4-8-2
WP --- Brandon Medders (4-1). LP --- Blake Taylor (2-1). HR --- Garris Gonce (4).
TIME --- 4:32. ATT. --- 3,023. (Game time included two weather delays totaling 69 minutes)
Spigner, Price (8), Taylor (10) and Whittaker and Powell. Maholm, Medders (9) and Burkley.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU Athletic Department

State got a pair of hits from four different players, but was keyed by a 2-3 performance with a pair of RBI and two runs scored from Iyhia McMichael, who also tied a school record with three stolen bases. Krystal Tillman (2-4), Jennifer Nelson (2-4) and Blaire Brown (2-4) also turned in multi-hit games for State. Auburn catcher Michelle Martin paced the Tigers on a 2-3 showing at the plate.

State starter Kasey Whitehead (3-2) threw her first complete game of the season, surrendering a pair of unearned runs on five Auburn hits while striking out three, to notch her second consecutive victory. Auburn pitcher Jaime Rasmussen (7-11) gave up four earned runs on seven Mississippi State hits in 3 2/3 innings of work to take the loss for the visitors.

Jennifer Nelson belted a triple down the left field line to lead off the third for the 'Dogs, then scored on a mental mistake by Rasmussen to give State a 1-0 lead. Brown extended the lead three batters later when she laced an RBI single to right field to give MSU a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Mississippi State took advantage of five hits and two Auburn errors to plate four more runs in the fourth, then added an insurance run on a McMichael RBI single in the fifth. Auburn rallied in the top of the seventh, scoring a pair of runs on three hits, but could not get any closer.

In the opener of the twinbill, Kasey Whitehead's two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh completed a three-run inning for State, as the 'Dogs rallied to defeat Auburn 5-4.

Brooke Best highlighted a 2-3 day at the plate with a solo home run in the fourth, with Whitehead turning in a pair of RBI on a 1-1 showing. Cheri Smith (2-4) also turned in a pair of hits for the homestanding Bulldogs along with a key RBI in the seventh-inning rally. Mary Petrie (1-3) and Deni Zeigler (1-2) both homered for the Tigers.

Mississippi State starter Jennifer Pursell worked the first six innings of the contest, giving up four earned runs on eight Tiger hits, before giving way to Whitehead in the seventh. Whitehead worked a scoreless seventh inning to even up her record at 2-2. Jaime Rasmussen surrendered a lone unearned run in 1/3 of an inning of work to take the loss for Auburn. State also shattered a school record by turning three double plays.

Auburn used an RBI single by Jodie Van Ooyen to take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second, but Best's perfect suicide squeeze bunt scored Cheri Smith from third base to knot the score back up at one apiece in the bottom of the frame. Petrie's solo home run in the top of the fourth, again, gave Auburn a one-run lead, but Mississippi State answered on a solo home run by Best in the bottom of the frame.

Zeigler's two-run dinger in the top of the sixth seemed to take the life out of the Bulldogs, but Smith's bases-loaded, run-scoring single off Rasmussen plated Tillman to bring State to within two before Whitehead's dramatic pinch hit at bat.

Game 1 - Mississippi State 5, Auburn 4
Auburn 010 102 0 - 4 8 2
Mississippi State 010 100 3 - 5 11 3
Auburn, DuBois, Rasmussen (7), Petrie (7) and Martin. Miss. State, Pursell, Whitehead (7) and Brown. W - Whitehead (2-2). L - Rasmussen (7-10). HR - Miss. State, Best (2) Auburn, Petrie, Zeigler. DP - Miss. State 3.

Game 2 - Mississippi State 7, Auburn 2
Auburn 000 000 2 - 2 5 5
Mississippi State 002 410 x - 7 11 1
Auburn, Rasmussen, Petrie (4) and Zeigler. Miss. State, Whitehead and Schlagheck. W - Whitehead (3-2). L - Rasmussen (7-11). 3B - Miss. State, J. Nelson (2).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/14/01
Baseball - Senior left-hander Kip Bouknight (7-2) blanked Mississippi State for seven innings Friday night to lead No. 10 South Carolina (29-9, 9-7 SEC) to a 7-2 win at Dudy Noble Field. The win pulled the defending SEC champions into a four-way tie for first place in the SEC East.

Bouknight struck out eight and held MSU to four hits over the first seven frames before walking the leadoff batter in the eighth and giving up two-run home run by Jason Burkley. He gave up two more hits in the eighth before giving way to Lee Gronkiewicz, who retired the four batters he faced to pick up his 10th save.

The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the second when Garris Gonce doubled off MSU starter Joey Collums (1-3) and scored on a single by Michael Floyd. Collums struck out four, gave up four hits and allowed two runs during his four-inning stint.

USC used a walk, a hit batsman, an RBI infield groundout and another run-scoring single by Floyd to plate two runs in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.

State, after stranding a pair of baserunners in the sixth and seventh, ended Bouknight's shutout bid when Brent Lewis walked and Burkley laced his second home run of the year over the right field fence. State put two more runners on that inning before Gronkiewicz retired Phillip Willingham on a fly ball to center field and then set the Bulldogs down in order in the ninth.

The two teams continue their three-game SEC weekend series Saturday at 4 p.m. CDT. MSU freshman left-hander Paul Maholm (4-2, 3.65) will go against USC junior righty Chris Spigner (6-2, 3.15 ERA).

SOUTH CAROLINA 6, MSU 2
USC (29-9, 9-7 SEC) 010 1212 001 --- 6-10-0
MSU (19-14, 9-7 SEC) 000 000 020 --- 2-7-2
WP --- Kip Bouknight (7-2). LP --- Joey Collums (1-3). SV --- Lee Gronkiewicz (10). HR --- Jason Burkley (2). ATT. --- 3,681. TIME --- 2:53.
Bouknight, Gronkiewicz (8) and Whittaker. Collums, Young (5), Carroll (7) and Burkley.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Here are a few pictures from the game. The first picture is MSU pitcher Tanner Brock being interviewed by WCBI's sports anchor Chris Latimer. The second and third pictures are of Jack Bryan, the son of Laura and Ted Bryan. The fourth and fifth pictures are of the Maples' family, Doug, Valerie and two of their children.

04/13/01
Softball - Mississippi State (26-21, 13-8 SEC) gave fifth-ranked LSU (38-7, 18-3) all it could handle, but the Tigers plated single runs in the first and fifth innings, and, again, rode its pitching to complete the series sweep with a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs Thursday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Mississippi State got hits from five different batters, with redshirt freshman Jennifer Jessup providing the offense with a fielder's choice RBI in the second frame. LSU used single hits from three different batters, getting RBIs from both Stephanie Hastings and Christy Connor.

Bulldog starter Jennifer Pursell (13-11) struck out two batters and surrendered just three hits in four innings of work to take the loss for Mississippi State. Kellie Wilkerson came on in relief of Pursell in the fifth and worked the remainder of the contest, striking out two LSU batters while allowing no runs, to get the no decision. Britni Sneed (24-4) struck out five Bulldogs in her complete game and allowed just a lone earned run to notch the victory for the Tigers.

The loss extended Mississippi State's skid against the Tigers to 15 games and stretched LSU's series lead 20 games (21-1). State's run in the second snapped a 51-inning scoreless streak for Sneed and the hit total marked the first time in the history of the 22-game series that the Bulldogs had outhit the Tigers.

LSU got its leadoff batter aboard with a fielding error in the first, then moved the runner around to third before Connor delivered a two-out RBI single to score Dee Douglas with the game's first run. State answered in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with its first four at bats, before Jessup's roller to the shortstop plated Lindsay Nelson with the game-tying run.

LSU used a passed ball in the fifth to move a pair of runners into scoring position, and Hastings' RBI groundout scored Douglas with the go-ahead run.

Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the 'Dogs conclude an 11-game homestand with a key Southeastern Conference series against the Auburn Tigers at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two will open the set on Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader and will close out the series on Easter Sunday with a single game at 12:30 p.m.

#5 LSU 2, Mississippi State 1
LSU 100 010 0 - 2 3 0
Mississippi State 010 000 0 - 1 5 1
LSU, Sneed and Schuelke and Reeves (6). MSU, Pursell, Wilkerson (5) and Brown. W - Sneed (24-4). L - Pursell (13-12).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Sophomore lefty Joey Collums (1-2, 4.28) is expected to take the hill for Mississippi State opposite USC senior ace Kip Bouknight (6-2, 4.88), college baseball's player of the year last season.

Weekend game times (CDT) at Dudy Noble Field are 6:35 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with Friday's series opener televised live regionally by Alabama-based College Sports Southeast.

ANOTHER RANKED OPPONENT FOR MSU - South Carolina becomes the seventh ranked opponent and fourth team ranked in the top 10 faced by Mississippi State this season. The Bulldogs are 8-7 against those clubs after splitting midweek games with No. 13 South Alabama.

DOGS ON EXPANDED HOMESTAND - With the addition of three makeup games to the schedule, Mississippi State is currently in the early stages of a season-longest 13-game homestand.

MSU has added a rare Monday (Apr. 16) game with Mississippi Valley State (6:30 p.m.) and a day/night doubleheader with Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State (Apr. 24), giving MSU 13 games over a 15-day span.

BULLDOGS VS. GAMECOCKS - With a trio of one-run wins in Columbia last year (1-0, 4-3, 7-6), South Carolina owns a 14-13 lead over MSU in a series that got its start in the 1981 College World Series.

Last year's USC sweep snapped a run of three straight series wins for State. The two schools have squared off in regular season series each year since 1994 (USC leads 4-3 in series wins). South Carolina and Tennessee rotate off the MSU schedule in 2002 as part of the SEC's new nine-weekend schedule that goes into effect next spring.

DOGS A GAME OUT TO BEGIN SECOND HALF OF SEC RACE - A second straight SEC road series win (2-1 at Tennessee) has vaulted Mississippi State to within a game of first place in the tightly-bunched SEC baseball pennant chase. After five weekends of competition, the Bulldogs trail SEC co-leaders LSU and Mississippi, each with 10-5 SEC marks. And, with a 9-6 league record, State shares third place with Tennessee, Florida and Alabama.

The top eight SEC teams advance to the conference tournament May 16-20 at the Hoover Met near Birmingham, Ala.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/12/01
Baseball - After losing a very heartbreaking one-run game Tuesday night, Mississippi State (19-13) scored six runs in the first three innings Wednesday afternoon and cruised to a 9-2 win and a split of a two-game series with 13th-ranked South Alabama (29-8) at Dudy Noble Field. The win was Mississippi State's eighth in 15 games against top 25-ranked teams. Almost fifty percent of MSU's games has been against teams ranked in the top 25.

Second baseman Michael Brown singled in a first inning run as the Bulldogs jumped to a 2-0 lead against South Alabama starting pitching freshman Bert Heath. USA committed two of their season-high five errors in the opening inning. Matthew Maniscalco doubled in two runs during a three-run second inning Bulldog burst and Brown drove in two more with a double that helped State take a 7-1 lead in the fourth.

Heath, making his first start of the season for USA, allowed five runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings to suffer his first defeat of the season. Relievers Mel Spivey and Jason Sullivan didn't fare much better, surrendering eight hits over the next three frames. Adam Parnell and Jason Glasscock threw scoreless relief over the final three innings. Sophomore right-hander Chris Young (2-1), the second of four Bulldog pitchers in the game, followed starter Adam Larson in the game in fifth inning, retiring the six batters he faced --- three with strikeouts, to earn the win. Larson gave up an unearned run on three hits while striking out five and walking two in four innings of work.

Michael Brown led the 11-hit Bulldog attack with two hits and three runs batted in. Steve Gendron went 3-for-4 and Jason Burkley and Brent Lewis added two hits each while Maniscalco and Phillip Willingham drove in a pair of runs each.

Nick Gretz reached on an error and scored South Alabama's first run after a double by Scott Calahan in the fourth inning. USA plated its final run in the ninth on Shane Scoville's pinch-hit single.

Mississippi State returns to SEC competition Friday at 6:30 p.m. when the Bulldogs entertain defending SEC Champion and 10th ranked South Carolina in the first game of a three-game weekend series.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 9, SOUTH ALABAMA 2
USA (29-8) 000 100 001 -- 2-6-5
MSU (19-13) 231 300 00x -- 9-11-2
WP --- Chris Young (2-1). LP --- Bert Heath (2-1).
Heath, Spivey (2), Sullivan (4), Parnell (6), Glasscock (8) and Hanna and Davis. Larson, Young (5), Carroll (7), Papelbon (9), Burkley and Parks.
ATT --- 1,838. TIME --- 2:47

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU and USA Athletic Departments

Freshmen Lindsay Nelson and Iyhia McMichael provided State's only hits as both turned in a 1-3 performance to highlight the Bulldog offense. LSU got a 3-4 performance from rightfielder Trena Peel, but was paced by a 1-2, two-RBI performance by Schuelke.

Mississippi State starter Jennifer Pursell (13-11) worked a complete game, striking out three LSU batters, but surrendered four earned runs on eight Tiger hits to take the loss. Lewis (12-3) notched a complete game, striking out 10 batters while giving up just a pair of hits, to earn the win.

After a fly out by Julie Wiese began the second inning for the Tigers, former Southern Miss standout Erin Johnson reached base on a catcher's interference, setting the table for a two-run dinger down the left field line by Schuelke that put LSU up 2-0 heading into the third. The Tigers struck again in the fourth when Trena Peel got a free pass home courtesy of a bases-loaded walk by Pursell. LSU added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Christy Connor and an RBI double by Wiese.

In the opener of the twinbill, LSU lit up the scoreboard in the opening frame, then erupted for five more in the second, as the Tigers used five extra base hits to cruise by Mississippi State 8-0 and stretch its winning streak against the Bulldogs to 13 games.

Lindsay Nelson got a pair of hits to pace the Bulldog hitting, with Kellie Wilkerson adding a hit on a 1-3 performance. The Tigers got a pair of hits from four different batters, while getting a pair of RBI from both April Janzen and Wiese.

Bulldog starter Jennifer Nelson (3-4) gave up five earned runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings of work to take the loss for State. LSU ace Britni Sneed (23-4) surrendered just three hits over a complete game and struck out eight batters to notch the victory.

LSU scraped together a 1-0 first-inning lead, then sent its entire order to the plate in the third inning, using three doubles to plate five runs and take a commanding 6-0 lead into the fourth. Janzen's RBI double with two outs in the seventh brought home both Auburne Ziober and Schuelke with the game's final runs.

Mississippi State and LSU will return to action tomorrow when the two conclude their three-game conference series in a single game at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

Game 1 - #5 LSU 8, Mississippi State 0
LSU 105 000 2 - 8 13 0
Mississippi State 000 000 0 - 0 3 2
LSU: Sneed and Schuelke. MSU: Nelson, Whitehead (3) and Schlagheck. W - Sneed (23-4). L - Nelson (3-4). 2B - LSU: Janzen 2, Connor, Wiese, Schuelke.

Game 2 - #5 LSU 5, Mississippi State 0
LSU 020 100 2 - 5 8 0
Mississippi State 000 000 0 - 0 2 1
LSU: Lewis and Schuelke. MSU: Pursell and Waterman. W - Lewis (12-3). L - Pursell (13-11). HR - LSU: Schuelke. 2B - LSU: Peel 2, Wiese. 3B - LSU: Hastings.

04/11/01
Baseball - In what is becoming very frustrating for the Mississippi State baseball players, coaches and fans, MSU's relievers failed to hold an early lead, while MSU hitters failed to deliver clutch hits. First, reliever Brandon Medders came in with a 4-1 lead only to see it evaporate with a three-run sixth inning by South Alabama, then South Alabama pinch runner Warren Hannah scored on a wild pitch by MSU reliever Josh Wooten in the ninth inning Tuesday night to give No. 16 South Alabama (29-7) a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Mississippi State (18-13) at Dudy Noble Field.

"(Reliever) Josh is a strike thrower, unfortunately that didn't happen today," said MSU head coach Pat McMahon. "That was a big key to the ballgame."

USA plated an unearned run in the top of the first as Cameron Likely led off by reaching on an infield error. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Gretz.

The Bulldogs would take a 4-1 lead off USA starter Tim Davis, who was touched for eight hits in 3-1/3 innings of work. The big hit was a Josh West homer - his third of the season - a two-run shot off Jag starter and Mississippi native Tim Davis.

During the first four innings, MSU starter Joey Collums held the Jags to one unearned run while giving up one hit, a first inning single by Smallwood.

"Joey pitched really well," said McMahon. "He didn't get an opportunity to pitch at Tennessee. He threw the ball in the strike zone and mixed his pitches. That was a good sign for us."

But the Jaguars got a two-run home run from Tim Merritt during a three-run sixth inning burst off of reliever Brandon Medders that tied the score and USA completed the comeback in the ninth. Hanna led off with a single to left off MSU relief pitcher Josh Wooten (1-3) and moved to second on a Brett Parker sacrifice bunt. After Wooten plunked pinch-hitter Ben Nelson and a foul out by Cameron Likely, Erik Smallwood was intentionally walked to load the bases. Hanna crossed home plate on Wooten's wild pitch.

Senior right-hander Jeff Hunter, pitching one complete inning, got in the game for his first appearance in several weeks. Of Jeff's 16 pitches, 10 were ball while 6 were strikes.

"I thought he was a little bit rusty but he had stayed in good shape," said McMahon. "He has taken care of his business that, we, as a team, think is important to take care of. We look forward to him returning and getting back into pitching shape."

Five Bulldog pitchers combined to limit the Jaguars to a season-tying low mark of five hits, but the Bulldog bats could do little against USA relief man Joe Long (3-1), who gave up just one hit in five innings of work. Long issued a pair of walks in the ninth before giving way to Clark Girardeau, who retired Matthew Maniscalco and Brent Lewis with runners on base to earn his first career save.

"Well I tell you what, Joe Long came in and looked like the old Joe Long," said 18-year Jaguar coach Steve Kittrell. "I thought he gave us a chance to come back and tie this game up. He shut them down. They were swinging the bats early and he came in with some great off-speed (pitches) and pitched well. We finally had some clutch hitting when we had to have it. The guys really played great defense."

Coach McMahon also noted Long's performance. "Long did a great job. He mixed his pitches well, and threw all of them through the strikezone. That was a key to the game."

USA didn't commit a defensive error for the first time in 12 games and received some outstanding defensive play from Merritt and Parker, who combined for eight infield assists.

Josh West had two hits and seven other MSU starters got hits to round out the Bulldogs' nine-hit effort.

The two teams conclude their midweek series Wednesday at 3 p.m. MSU has three guys in mind as far as pitchers. Coach McMahon said he wasn't sure who he would start.

SOUTH ALABAMA 5, MSU 4
USA (29-7) 100 003 001 --- 5-5-0
MSU (18-13) 030 100 000 --- 4-9-2
WP --- Joe Long (3-1). LP --- Josh Wooten (1-3). SV --- Clark Girardeau (1).
Davis, Long (4), Girardeau (9) and Scoville. Collums, Medders (5), Hunter (7), Dowe (8), Wooten (8) and Burkley.

HR --- Josh West (3). Tim Merritt (9). TIME --- 2:44. ATT --- 2,104.

Here are a few pictures that I took while visiting the leftfield lounge. Click on the pictures to view larger sized pictures. Pictures 1 and 2 are of the Action, Industries crew from Belden, Mississippi cooking out in the lounge. Pictures 3 and 4 are of Chapman and Chapman and his brother Thomas sitting in the lounge cheering on the Bulldogs.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU and USA Athletic Departments

MSU will meet Mississippi Valley State Monday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. and again Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the second half of a day/night doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field. In a 3 p.m. game April 24 the Bulldogs will also test the Alcorn State Braves.

The schedule additions replace games cancelled due to weather during the first two months of the season. MSU has had eight rainouts this spring, with two games replaced by doubleheaders played at Dudy Noble Field.

Season ticket holders can use the Feb. 27 MSU-Austin Peay (Game 5) ticket for admission to the April 16 game with Mississippi Valley State and the April 4 MSU-Troy State (Game 21) ticket for admission to the April 24 day/night doubleheader with Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State.

The added games give Mississippi State (18-12) a 13-game homestand heading into the final months of the 2001 baseball season.

MSU BASEBALL SCHEDULE ADDITIONS
April 16 ¯ Mississippi Valley State (6:30 p.m.)
April 24 ¯ Alcorn State University (3:00 p.m.)
April 24 ¯ Mississippi Valley State (6:30 p.m.)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/10/01
Baseball - After playing seven of their last eight games away from home, the Baseball Bulldogs are back at home for their next 10 games, beginning with a pair of midweek non-conference battles against No. 13 South Alabama. The Bulldogs are 11-7 at home.

Mississippi State (18-12, 9-6 SEC) takes on South Alabama (28-7) Tuesday (6:30 p.m.) and Wednesday (3 p.m.), and then opens the second half of the 2001 SEC baseball race playing host to defending SEC Champion 10th ranked South Carolina (26-9, 8-7 SEC) Apr. 13-15.

Mississippi State and South Alabama have met 49 times with MSU posting a 30-19 record against the Jaguars. MSU owns a 16-11 record against USA at Dudy Noble Fields. Mississippi State has won the last six meetings between the teams.

USA (28-7) is playing just its second road series of the season after playing 29 of its first 35 games at home. The No. 13 Jaguars are 2-4 away from Stanky Field this season, which includes a three-game sweep by Florida International, currently ranked 20th, a week and a half ago. However, USA has won at Southern Mississippi and Auburn. USA is 0-4 against teams currently ranked in the top 25.

Offensively, Nick Gretz leads a potent Jag offense, that is averaging 8.9 runs and 11.7 hits per contest, with a .451 batting mark. Scott Calahan, coming off a 9-for-14 series over the weekend, is hitting a career-best .420. Tim Merritt and Ryan Mulhern lead the team in home runs with eight apiece. Merritt leads all Jag players with 40 RBI. Mulhern is questionable for the series due to an ailing thumb. The sophomore, who is hitting .415, 8 HR, 29 RBI, missed all three games last weekend with Western Kentucky. Senior Brantley Griffin filled in nicely by hitting .500 in the series. Defensively, pitching remains a key weapon for the Jags. The team currently owns a 3.10 ERA and is holding opponents to a .232 batting average. A number of Jags are expected to see action in the mid-week series.

Mississippi State, surprisedly unranked after a 7-6 record in games against teams that have been or are currently ranked in the 25, will start junior left-hander Joey Collums (1-2, 4.85) for his sixth start and ninth pitching appearance of the year.

Mississippi State sports just an 18-12 overall mark, but has won six of its last nine, which includes four wins over nationally ranked LSU (#2), Ole Miss (#18) and Tennessee (#21).

The Bulldogs, coming off a series win at No. 11 Tennessee, are batting .283, but the pitching staff owns a 3.20 ERA.

Redshirt freshman Matthew Brinson paces the Bulldog offense with a .388 batting clip while hitting 2 homers and knocking in 17 RBIs. Other MSU players batting over .300 are junior Jason Burkley (.337-1 home run -22 RBI), senior Josh West (.327-2-32), senior Jon Knott (.325-5-21), and true freshman Steve Gendron (.301-0-16). Junior Michael Brown, who has hit 1 home run and knocked in 11 runs, is a point behind with a .299 batting average.

Portions of this article was provided by the MSU and USA Athletic Departments

04/09/01
Baseball - Baseball - Overall record: 18-12 (Home: 11-7, Away: 6-5, Neutral Site: 1-0) SEC record: 9-6 (Home: 4-2, Away: 5-4)

Last week's results (2-2)
Apr. 3 UAB 4, MSU 2 (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 4 Rainout No. 8 --- MSU vs. Troy State (Starkville, Miss.)
Apr. 6 No. 11 Tennessee 9, MSU 8 (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Apr. 7 MSU 13, No. 11 Tennessee 5 (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Apr. 8 MSU 7, No. 11 Tennessee 2 (Knoxville, Tenn.)

This week's schedule
Apr. 10 MSU vs. South Alabama (Starkville, Miss. - 6:30 p.m. CDT)
Apr. 11 MSU vs. South Alabama (Starkville, Miss. - 3:00 p.m. CDT)
Apr. 10 MSU vs. South Carolina (Starkville, Miss. - 6:30 p.m. CDT) --- CSSE-TV
Apr. 10 MSU vs. South Carolina (Starkville, Miss. - 4:00 p.m. CDT)
Apr. 10 MSU vs. South Carolina (Starkville, Miss. - 1:30 p.m. CDT)

BACK AT HOME: The Bulldogs open a 10-game homestand with five games this week, testing South Alabama in a pair of midweek games and defending SEC Champion South Carolina in a three-game weekend series. The Jaguars were ranked 13th and the Gamecocks 7th in last week's rankings and likely will become the fourth and fifth ranked Bulldog foes to visit Dudy Noble Field this season.

DOGS BATTLE BACK INTO TIGHT SEC RACE: MSU's second consecutive SEC road series win has vaulted the Diamond Dogs back into the thick of the SEC race. MSU has carved a 9-6 SEC record at the midway point of the 2001 conference campaign, a game behind SEC and SEC Western Division-leading LSU and Mississippi (10-5). State is tied for third place in the SEC's overall standings with Alabama and Tennessee.

VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: With a 2-1 showing against No. 11 Tennessee in Knoxville, Mississippi State improved to 7-6 in games against top 25-ranked teams (4-3 vs. top 10). State has now won seven of its last eight games against Tennessee.

COMPLETE-GAME GEM: Bulldog junior right-hander TANNER BROCK (5-1, 2.73) tossed a dandy career-first complete game as Mississippi State clinched its second consecutive SEC road series with a 7-2 win over No. 11 Tennessee Sunday in Knoxville. Brock, who had already registered a pair of eight-inning outings, scattered five hits, fanned six and allowed just one earned run against the SEC East-leading Tennessee Vols. He retired SEC hitting leader Chris Burke five times to snap his hitting streak at 18 games. With the win Brock advanced his conference record to 4-0 with an impressive 1.43 ERA.

KNOTT KNOTES: Senior left fielder JON KNOTT lashed his fourth and fifth home runs of the year during a 4-for-5 plate performance in State's Saturday win at Tennessee. The round trippers raised his career total to 48, passing TRACY ECHOLS into fourth place among MSU career leaders. His 10 total bases and four hits matched his career-highs in both categories.

MB's MEAN BUSINESS: The right side of the MSU infield --- freshman first baseman MATTHEW BRINSON (.388) and junior second baseman MICHAEL BROWN (.299) have welded the hot bats for the Diamond Dogs during the past four games. Brown hit at a .500 clip (7x14) with a double and two RBI. Brinson hit .467 (7x15) with a double, a home run, three walks and four RBI.

MSU TEAM TOTALS
Batting average: .283 (40 doubles, eight triples, 15 home runs, 162 RBI)
Team ERA: 3.20 (267.1 IP, 239 hits, 93 walks, 254 strikeouts)
Team fielding: .965 (802 putouts, 343 assists, 42 errors, 31 double plays)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

"Tanner keeps getting better and better," said Bulldog skipper Pat McMahon. "He competed, kept his pitch-count down and put us in a position to pick up an important win against an outstanding club on the road."

The Vols jumped off to a 1-0 lead in the second when Denis Gomez singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a two-out Bulldog fielding error. But it was the only lead of the day for Tennessee, as Brock scattered five hits, fanned six and did not walk a batter in his sterling career-longest nine-inning performance. Brock three-hit Tennessee through six innings, gave up a run on two singles in the seventh, and then retired eight of the final nine batters he faced.

State answered in the third with a pair of runs in the third. Phillip Willingham's leadoff home run, his first circuit clout of the year, tied the score. Matthew Maniscalco singled up the middle and scored two batters later on a Jason Burkley single that chased UT starter Brian Gates from the game.

The Bulldogs added a run in the fifth off relief pitcher Brandon Crowe when Phillip Willingham singled, stole second and third and scored when a pickoff throw got away from third baseman Ryan Case.

Steve Gendron singled in a pair of runs and scored on a single by Brent Lewis to help MSU expand its lead with three runs in the seventh for 6-1 lead. Jon Knott was struck by a pitch and later scored the game's final run on a single by Michael Brown in the eighth.

The complete-game win was the first of the year for MSU and the Bulldogs' first since Mark Freed's complete-game performance against Notre Dame in the 2000 NCAA Starkville Regional.

Brent Lewis topped MSU's 12-hit attack with three hits, while Matthew Maniscalco, Brown, and Willingham had two hits each.

The Bulldogs open a 10-game homestand and a two-game midweek series against No. 13 South Alabama Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. MSU resumes SEC competition Apr. 13-15 hosting defending SEC champion South Carolina in a three-game conference weekend series at Dudy Noble Field.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, TENNESSEE 2
MSU (18-12, 9-6) 002 010 31- 7-12-2
Tennessee (28-8, 9-6) 010 000 10- 2-5-1

WP ---Tanner Brock (5-1). LP --- Brian Gates (4-4). HR --- Phillip Willingham (1).
Gates, Crowe (3), Parker (8) and Herrera. Brock and Burkley.
ATT. --- 1,825.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Freshman Iyhia McMichael posted a 3-4 showing at the plate with a run scored to highlight the Bulldog bats. Greenwood, Miss., native Anna Joyce Lott provided a pair of RBI on a 1-2 showing at the plate, while freshman Jennifer Waterman hit 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Starter Jennifer Pursell (13-10) worked her ninth complete game of the campaign, surrendering three runs on 11 Kentucky hits, to notch her second-straight victory.

State used its first four at bats of the game to juice the bases, then got RBIs from its next four at bats to take a 4-0 lead into the second. State took a 5-0 lead in the third on a fielder's choice RBI, then used fourth-inning RBI hits by Cheri Smith and Waterman to take a 7-0 advantage into the fifth.

However, Kentucky sent its entire order to the plate in the seventh, getting one-out, run-scoring at bats by Jennifer Howland, Leslie Kwiatkowski and Lyndsey Angus, before Pursell regained her composure to record the final two outs of the frame.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Wednesday when they suit up to host conference-leading LSU in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The 'Dogs and Tigers will open up the set with a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday and will close out the series with a single game on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Mississippi State 7, Kentucky 3
Kentucky 000 000 3 - 3 11 1
Mississippi State 401 200 x - 7 10 0
UK: Marr, Howland (4) and Angus. MSU: Pursell and Brown, Schlagheck (3) and Mosley (7). W - Pursell (13-10). L - Marr (12-10).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/08/01
Baseball - Bulldog left fielder Jon Knott went 4-for-5 and cracked a pair of home runs Saturday afternoon to lead Mississippi State (17-12, 8-6) to a 13-5 win over No. 11 Tennessee (28-7, 9-5) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The win evened the series at a game apiece in advance of Sunday's 1 p.m. (CDT) finale.

Knott singled and scored a run in the second when MSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead on UT starter Patrick Hicklen (2-2). The Venice, Fla., product then launched solo home runs in the third and fifth innings and capped his most productive outing of the year and a three-run eighth-inning burst with an RBI single.

Freshman left-hander Paul Maholm (4-2) blanked the SEC Eastern Division-leading Vols through four innings before UT struck for three runs in the fifth. Chris Burke doubled in two runs in the frame as Tennessee cut the MSU lead to 4-3.

But State scored in each of the next four innings, plating three runs in the seventh and eighth innings to seal the win. Matt Brinson, who singled in the game's first run in the second inning, singled and scored in the seventh and belted a two-run home run to right in the eighth to round out a three-hit, three-RBI performance. Michael Brown also collected three hits and Matthew Maniscalco drove in three runs with a single, an infield groundout and a sacrifice fly.

Maholm did not walk a batter and scattered 10 hits during his solid 6.2-inning stint on the mound. Relief man Jonathan Papelbon replaced Maholm in the seventh, quieting UT with 2.1 innings of no-hit, shutout pitching.

MSU shuffled its lineup for the game, with a pair of freshmen, Robby Goodson and Brad Hutto, replacing DH Brent Lewis and outfielder Phillip Willingham in the starting lineup. Goodson and Hutto scored a run each during their first career SEC starts.

Designated hitter Kris Bennett went 3-for-4 and SEC hitting leader Chris Burke drove in two runs on a 2-for-5 afternoon to lead Tennessee.

Knott's fourth and fifth home runs of the year raised his career total to 48, moving him to fourth place among MSU's career home run leaders. He also matched his single-game career bests with four hits and 10 total bases.

The Bulldogs and the Volunteers conclude their weekend series Sunday in a 1 p.m. (CDT) game. Junior right-hander Tanner Brock (4-1, 2.98) will start for the Bulldogs. State will be looking to clinch its third SEC series in five weekends of league play.

Mississippi State plays its next 10 games at Dudy Noble Field, including SEC home series with South Carolina (Apr. 13-15) and Kentucky (Apr. 20-23).

MISSISSIPPI STATE 13, TENNESSEE 5
MSU (17-12, 8-6) 031 012 330 - 13-15-1
Tennessee (28-7, 9-5) 000 031 100- 5-10-4
WP --- Paul Maholm (4-2). LP --- Patrick Hicklen (2-2).
Maholm, Papelbon (7) and Burkley. Hicklen, Filsinger (6), Curtiss (6), Samuels (7) and Herrera.
HR --- Jon Knott-2 (5), Matthew Brinson (2). ATT --- 1,906. TIME: 2:48.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Kellie Wilkerson turned in a 2-3 performance with an RBI and a pair of runs scored to highlight the Mississippi State offense, but it was McMichael's bat that proved to be the heroic one for the Bulldogs. Starter Jennifer Pursell (12-10) worked the first six innings of the game, surrendering a pair of unearned runs while striking out three, to notch her 12th victory. Wilkerson worked a scoreless seventh to record her SEC-leading seventh save of the campaign.

Mississippi State took the lead with its first at bat, using a solo home run from Wilkerson to right-centerfield, to take a 1-0 lead into the second. Kentucky knotted the score back up in the top of the third on a mishandled grounder by Mississippi State, then took the lead in the top of the fifth on a throwing error by the Bulldogs.

In game one of the doubleheader, Kentucky erupted for seven runs on eight hits in the first three innings of play, then used its pitching to shut down a paltry Mississippi State offense, as the Wildcats used 16 hits to shock Mississippi State, 8-1.

Wilkerson's 2-3 performance was the only multi-hit showing from any Bulldog, with Krystal Tillman providing State's lone RBI. Pursell lasted just two-thirds of an inning after surrendering three earned runs on five hits. Relief pitcher Kasey Whitehead got the no decision despite giving up five runs on 11 Kentucky hits.

The loss effectively snapped a nine-game conference winning streak for the Bulldogs. The first inning also marked the third time this season that Mississippi State has seen an opponent's entire batting order in one inning.

Kentucky sent its entire order to the plate in the opening frame, utilizing five hits and one costly Mississippi State error, to take a 3-0 lead into the second. The Wildcats padded their lead with a pair of runs in the third, before Tillman's run-scoring single in the fourth lit up the scoreboard for the hosts. Kentucky used four more hits in the seventh to plate three runs and cap the game scoring.

Both Mississippi State and Kentucky will return to action on Sunday when the two conclude their three-game set with a single game at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Game 1 - Kentucky 8, Mississippi State 1
Kentucky 302 000 3 - 8 16 3
Mississippi State 000 100 0 - 1 6 4
UK: Marr and Angus. MSU: Pursell, Whitehead (1) and Waterman. W - Marr (12-9). L - Pursell (11-10).

Game 2 - Mississippi State 3, Kentucky 2
Kentucky 001 010 0 - 2 6 2
Mississippi State 100 020 x - 3 7 2
UK: Marr, Lovell (1), Howland (5) and Angus. MSU: Pursell, Wilkerson (7) and Brown. W - Pursell (12-10). L - Howland (5-10). Save - Wilkerson (7). HR - Wilkerson (13).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/07/01
Baseball - Ryan Case's safety squeeze bunt scored Stevie Daniel in the eighth inning Friday night to lift No. 11 Tennessee (28-6, 9-4) to a 9-8 SEC baseball win over Mississippi State (16-12, 7-6) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

It was the fourth final at-bat loss on the road in conference play for Mississippi State.

The Eastern Division-leading Volunteers jumped on MSU starter Adam Larson for five runs and three hits in the first two innings and led 5-1 before the Bulldogs staged a comeback. With MSU relief pitcher Steven Dowe holding UT at bay, Josh West lashed a two-run triple as MSU batted around during a four-run fourth inning burst. Jason Burkley walked with the bases loaded and West followed with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to expand the Bulldog lead to 8-5.

But that was to be the last of the MSU scoring as Tennessee relief pitchers Will Curtiss and Brandon Crowe (5-0) held State scoreless over the last four innings. UT, meanwhile, chipped away at the MSU lead. SEC hitting leader Chris Burke belted a leadoff home run in the sixth and catcher Javi Herrara doubled in a pair of runs in the seventh to tie the score. In the eighth, Stevie Daniel opened the inning with a single off MSU relief pitcher Josh Wooten (1-2), stole second and took third on an errant pickoff throw to second. Ryan Case, who delivered a pinch-hit single and scored a run in the seventh, drove in the go-ahead run with a safety squeeze bunt that fell in for a base hit.

Matthew Brinson, Michael Brown and Steve Gendron had two hits each for State while Josh West drove in three runs and Jason Burkley, with a walk and a sacrifice fly, drove in two runs. UT got a 3-for-5, 2-RBI plate performance from Stevie Daniel.

The Bulldogs and the Volunteers continue their weekend series Saturday in a 3 p.m. (CDT) game televised by FOX Sports Net South.

TENNESSEE 9, MISSISSIPPI STATE 8
MSU (16-12, 7-6) 011 420 000 - 8-8-2
Tennessee (28-6, 9-4) 230 001 21x- 9-13-1
WP --- Brandon Crowe (5-0). LP --- Josh Wooten (1-2). HR --- Chris Burke (12).
Larson, Dowe (2), Young (7), Wooten (7) and Burkley. Allen, Bertolino (4), Curtiss (5), Crowe 8) and Herrera.
ATT --- 2,223. TIME: 3:12.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/06/01
Baseball - Mississippi State tests its road wings for the second consecutive weekend in conference play, taking on the SEC East-leading and 11th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Bulldogs (16-11, 7-5 SEC) open the series Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT), with junior right-hander Adam Larson (2-3, 2.01 ERA) taking the hill for his second straight SEC start. Tennessee will also start a junior right-hander, Wyatt Allen (5-2, 6.43).

MSU claimed last weekend's road series against Western Division foe Arkansas 2-1, rebounding from a 6-5 loss in the Friday series opener with a 9-3 Saturday win and series-clinching 10-2 victory Sunday.

Freshman Matthew Brinson holds the mid-season MSU lead in batting average. The Brandon, Miss., product is hitting at a .368 clip and has hit safely in 14 of his 19 games as a starter. Over the past five games he's gone 11-for-23 (.478) with seven runs scored and four runs batted in.

The MSU pitching staff enters the weekend with the second-best team earned run average in all games (3.66 ERA) and, after 12 league games, the top mark against conference opponents (3.05 ERA).

Tennessee (27-6, 8-4 SEC) is paced at the plate by the SEC's hottest hitter, shortstop Chris Burke. Burke is hitting at a sizzling .469 clip, .478 against SEC foes.

Saturday's game will be televised live regionally by FOX Sports Net South as the SEC-TV Game of the Week, with air time set for 3 p.m. (CDT). The series concludes with a 1 p.m. (CDT) contest Sunday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department