The No. 18 Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs managed to complete only one game during a rain-soaked weekend in Knoxville, Tenn., earning a 4-3 Friday night victory, before having the final two games of the Southeastern Conference series cancelled due to lingering rain mixed with snow.In Friday’s game, Chad Crosswhite (4-1) went seven innings and earned the win in his second weekend start, while normal Friday starter Aaron Weatherford came out of the bullpen to work the final two innings and pick up his first save.
The Bulldogs (23-8, 8-5 SEC) took the lead early in the contest when Jeff Flagg scored on a Mark Goforth single in the top of the second frame.
MSU added three more runs in the top of the sixth inning, two coming again off a Goforth single.
The Volunteers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth, then added another run on a Shawn Griffin triple in the seventh.
In the top of the eighth, Crosswhite tendered the mound to Weatherford after a seven-hit, five-strikeout outing.
Weatherford and his deadly fastball stopped the Volunteer rally in its tracks, closing out the game with two perfect innings.
“Chad Crosswhite pitched lights-out against a nice Tennessee lineup. I’m proud of him,” MSU head coach Ron Polk said. “It’s also nice to have a kid like Aaron Weatherford throwing 93, 94, 95 miles per hour come in when you’re protecting a lead.”
Weatherford was removed from the starting rotation two weeks ago with tendonitis in his throwing arm.
Goforth had three hits in the game, followed by Brian LaNinfa, Conner Powers and Flagg, who all had two hits.
Shortstop Russ Sneed went 1-for-4 in the game, starting in place of Jeffrey Rea, who missed the series with a family emergency.
The Bulldogs will complete a nine-game road schedule today as they take on the Mississippi Rebels in the annual Governor’s Cup game at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
The annual midweek battle between SEC rivals – in a game that does not count toward either team’s league record – had been played at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson for the last 10 years but has shifted just a few miles south to the newer, more modern Trustmark Park, which was built in 2005 to be the home of the Atlanta Braves AA squad.
The Bulldogs will host LSU this weekend at Dudy Noble Field, their first home series since taking two of three games from Kentucky during Super Bulldog Weekend.