Bulldogs drop one to North Carolina
By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
June 1, 2003
STARKVILLE Mississippi State wasted several early scoring chances and North Carolina reliever Matt Danford made sure they wouldn't get many more over the middle six innings as the Tar Heels cruised to a 10-5 win in Saturday afternoon's winners' bracket game in the NCAA Regional at Starkville.
The loss dropped the Bulldogs (41-19-1) into a Saturday night elimination game with Missouri (36-21), which eliminated Middle Tennessee 13-7 in Saturday's early game.
North Carolina (41-21) advances to today's championship game at 1:30 p.m. An if necessary' game would follow at 5 p.m.
State had the Tar Heels on the ropes in the early going, scoring two runs in the second inning, but leaving six runners stranded over the first three frames. Five of the six were in scoring position.
The Bulldogs got two runs in the second inning as Goodson singled and Thomas Berkery walked to start the frame. A double to center field by Joseph Hunter scored Goodson and Berkery crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Butts.
MSU had the bases loaded with two outs when UNC head coach Mike Fox went to Danford, who went 3-0 on Brad Corley before battling back to strike out the Bulldog right fielder.
Danford, who had thrown only 38 2/3 innings in 22 appearances this season, allowed only two hits over the next 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six.
The Tar Heel batters put MSU on the ropes in the bottom of the third. Chris Iannetta got UNC's first hit off Alan Johnson (5-5) with a single to right field. Singles by Blair Waggett and Greg Mangum loaded the bases with no outs.
Chad Prosser drove in two runs to tie the game with a double down the left-field line. Jeremy Cleveland's fielder's choice gave the Tar Heels the lead at 3-2 and they wouldn't give it back.
Mangum made it 7-2 with a grand slam in front of the scoreboard in right field with two outs in the fourth. Two of the runners that scored reached on walks by Johnson. The homer was just the second of the sophomore's career at UNC.
Any suspense was removed in the fifth when Ianetta's two-out double to center field off reliever Brett Cleveland plated three runs for a 10-2 lead.
State got three runs in the top of the ninth with two scoring on a single by Corley.
The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 1-14 in games where they trail after the seventh inning.
