University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Edged, 5-4, By Intrastate Rival
4/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Baseball Edged, 5-4, By Intrastate Rival
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning, edging Southern Miss, 5-4, in the first of two midweek games between the two schools, Tuesday, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss.
The Golden Eagles (28-12) scored four runs on nine hits and made one error in the game, while the Bulldogs (28-11) scored their five runs also on nine hits and made one error.
The game featured an 18-minute delay after a power surge on the Mississippi State campus forced the lights out in the stadium during the bottom of the sixth inning.
The host Bulldogs got on the scoreboard early, plating a single run in the bottom of the second. Ed Easley reached on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, scoring in the next at bat on Brian LaNinfa's RBI-double to right field.
Southern Miss answered with a run of its own in the next inning. Jody Blount reached on an infield single to first base and then rounded the bases on Trey Sutton's RBI-double to right center.
The score remained through the next two innings, despite the Golden Eagles' fourth-inning threat with runners on first and third with no outs.
But in the top of the fifth, Southern Miss broke the tie game in a big way when Marc Maddox belted a three-run bomb over the left field wall, scoring Kevin Coker and Blount for the 4-1 advantage.
Mississippi State tacked on a single run in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to two. Jeff Butts led off with a triple to right field and later came around to score on Thomas Berkery's double down the left field line.
The hosts had runners on first and third with one out, and reliever Tyler Perrett entered for starter Matt Caire when the lights went out on the field. When play resumed, Mississippi State took advantage, belting a pair of hits off Perrett, plating a pair of runs and knotting the score at four runs each. Cole Basinger then entered the game and squelched the Bulldog threat, leaving the score tied.
Southern Miss answered by putting two runners on in the top of the seventh, but the runs couldn't be pushed across and the score remained.
It wasn't until the bottom of the eighth when the Bulldogs broke the tie, scoring the go-ahead run. With two outs, LaNinfa reached on an error at second base, and moved to second when Bunky Kateon drew a walk. Mitch Moreland then singled off reliever Daniel Best, plating LaNinfa for the game-winning run.
Maddox, Brad Willcutt and Blount each had a pair of hits to lead Southern Miss, with Maddox plating a team-best three runs on his 11th homer of the season. Moreland had two hits to lead the Bulldogs.
Caire threw 5.1 innings of no-decision ball, allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, matching his career high. Perrett gave up two hits, and Basinger (3-2) gave up one unearned run in 2.1 innings of work and took the loss. Best pitched a third of an inning, giving up one hit.
Mississippi State starter John Lalor pitched six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits of no-decision work and had four strikeouts. Reliever Mike Valentine, who improved to 3-0 with the victory, threw the final three innings, giving up one hit and striking out five.
The two teams meet for the final contest of the midweek series at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday.
