Mississippi State’s Diamond Dawgs earned their second SEC-series win this weekend defeating Kentucky two out of three games. Friday
MSU scored seven runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth to defeat the Wildcats 10-7 with more late-game dramatics.
“We couldn’t ask to win in a better environment,” first baseman Mitch Moreland said. “The crowd was amazing, and they never gave up on us.”
MSU starter Aaron Weatherford struggled early in the game, allowing three earned runs on six hits in his five innings of work.
Kentucky opened the game by scoring two runs in the first inning and added another in the second.
Brandon Turner put the Bulldogs on the board in the fourth inning with his RBI single, scoring Moreland, who reached base on a walk.
Sean Coughlin added another run for the Wildcats with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
The Diamond Dawgs struck early on Wildcats starter Chris Rusin in the seventh inning. Connor Powers and Turner opened the inning with back-to-back singles, forcing the Wildcats to pull Rusin from the game and start using a string of relievers.
Nick Hardy, Rea and Edward Easley all walked, and Moreland scored Hardy and Rea on a two-run single to left center field to tie the game at 5-5.
LaNinfa followed with a two-run double to give the Dawgs a 7-5 lead, and Powers, in his second at-bat of the inning, scored him on a left field single.
MSU padded their lead in the eighth inning as Mark Goforth opened the inning with a double.
Rea reached base on a bunt, and Easley followed with an RBI single to left field to score Goforth. Joseph McCaskill singled to right field to send Easley home and give the Dawgs a 10-5 lead.
Bulldogs reliever Ricky Bowen faced trouble in the ninth inning despite earning his fourth save. Wright hit a home run shot to left field, but Bowen shut the Wildcats down by retiring the last two batters.
Moreland, Turner and Powers all went 2-for-4, and Moreland, Easley and LaNinfa each knocked in two runs.
Saturday
The Wildcats stopped another Bulldogs late-game charge to even the series with their 10-6 win.
Justin Pigott took his third loss of the season, allowing 12 hits and nine earned runs in six innings of work.
“We had a good chance to win this game in front of an awesome crowd, but today I just didn’t show up,” Pigott said. “You can bet I’ll be here next week though.”
Kentucky notched four runs in the second inning and another three runs in the third, including two runs that scored on errors by McCaskill and center fielder Nick Hardy.
The Bulldogs attempted a rally in the fourth, as McCaskill lead off the inning with a double. Powers scored McCaskill when he reached base on a fielder’s choice.
Powers scored when right fielder Jeff Flagg singled up the middle, but the inning ended when Rea grounded out to second base.
Pigott kept the Wildcats scoreless in the top of the fifth, and the Dawgs added another two runs to the board in the bottom of the inning.
Easley opened the inning with a single and advanced on McCaskill’s second hit of the game.
He came home when Powers reached base on an error by Kentucky’s Spear. Turner notched his second single of the game and scored McCaskill to slim Kentucky’s lead to 7-4.
Kentucky padded their lead by two runs in the seventh inning. Sawyer Carroll notched an RBI double, and Ryan Wilkes scored him in on a single.
The Diamond Dawgs added another two runs in the eighth. Turner scored when Flagg reached base on another error by Spear. Easley scored pinch runner Andy Rice on an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
Turner led the Dawgs offensively, going 3-for-3. Easley went 2-for-3 while McCaskill went 3-for-5.
Sunday
Rea started things off for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the third inning with a single and scored on a Turner RBI double. Easley doubled to center field, advancing Turner to third, while Moreland scored him on a groundout to second base.
Kentucky tied the game in the fourth, with Carroll’s two-run home run to right field, but Johnson stopped their rally by striking out Coughlin.
The Wildcats took a one-run lead in the seventh inning when John Lalor walked Spear and gave up a single to Wilkes. Bowen came in for relief but hit Jason Kipnis with a pitch. Brian Spear scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Howe.
Kentucky added another run in the eighth. Carroll singled to right center field, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single to left field by Spear.
The Bulldogs rallied in the bottom of the eighth, however. Turner opened the inning with a single, and Moreland blasted a two-run homer to right field to tie the game up.
Turner came through again in the ninth inning, scoring Powers on the game-winning RBI single. He would go 3-for-5 and batted in two runs. Moreland became the hero of the game, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and retired the last two Kentucky bats to earn his second win of the season.