Bulldogs sweep past Eagles

By By Robby Atkinson / staff writer
April 8, 2004
HATTIESBURG The Mississippi State University Bulldogs pounded out 15 hits to take a 9-7 win over the University of Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs secured a two-game sweep over the Golden Eagles in front of a record-setting crowd (4,760) at Pete Taylor Park. MSU won the opening game on Tuesday 18-9.
MSU grabbed a 2-0 lead over USM in the top of the second. Brad Corley led the inning off with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joseph Hunter, and Jeff Butts added a single in the inning and scored on a double by Jeffery Rea.
The Eagles posted a run of their own in the bottom of the second, as Carlos Velasquez connected on a towering home run to left center to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 2-1.
MSU responded with three runs in the top of the third inning for a 5-1 lead. Corley struck for a three-run homer over the right-field wall to take the four-run lead.
USM starting pitcher Noah Tritz (0-1) was removed from the game and replaced by middle reliever Josh Grant and the move paid off for the Golden Eagles. Grant held the Bulldog offense to no runs for the next five innings, and USM started a comeback in the fourth inning.
Velasquez drove in two runs with a single to right field to pull USM to within 5-3 of the lead.
The Eagles managed to plate one more run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 5-4. Matt Shepherd led the fifth off with a double and scored moments later on a sacrifice fly by Hoffpauir.
MSU reliever Brooks Dunn halted USM's comeback bid, after he replaced starter Josh Johnson in the fifth inning. The bulldogs reliever pitched three scoreless innings and recorded two strikeouts.
The Bulldogs tallied one run in the seventh inning off of Grant to extend their lead to 6-4. Thomas Berkery belted his first home run of the season over the wall in left center to give the Bulldogs a two-run lead.
Grant pitched 5.1 innings out of the bullpen for the Golden Eagles and had five strikeouts in the process.
MSU scored its final runs of the night in the ninth inning to take a comfortable 9-4 lead. Steve Gendron led the ninth off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Craig Tatum to begin the scoring for MSU.
Gendron scored on a single by Jones to center field that gave the Bulldogs a 7-4 lead. Brad LaNinfa collected his first hit of night in the ninth with a double that plated Jones to make the score, and the third run of the inning scored on a single from Berkery.
MSU closer Saunders Ramsey allowed all three runs in the ninth, but he had two strikeouts to help the Bulldogs hold on for the victory.
Freshman Josh Johnson (3-1) recorded the win for the Bulldogs going five innings and recording six strikeouts.