Feb. 26, 2006
Final Stats
STARKVILLE, Ms.-Mississippi State plated three runs in the fourth inning and junior righthander Josh Johnson tossed 6-1/3 innings of one-hit shutout baseball to lead No. 11 MSU to a 3-1 win over Marist in the opening game of a Sunday doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs also took the second game by a score of 4-2. MSU improved to 3-0 with the victories, while Marist dropped to 0-3.
The Bulldogs touched Marist starter George Heath (0-1) for three runs in the fourth. Joseph Hunter laced a single up the middle, advanced to third on Brian LaNinfa's single to right and scored on a bloop single to shallow left by Andy Rice. Hunter and LaNinfa raced home moments later when Jeff Butt's two-out fly ball was dropped in right field by Marist's Kevin Grauer (Plain City, Ohio).
State threatened to pull away from Marist in the sixth inning, loading the bases with a walk and singles by Matt Richardson and Thomas Berkery. But relief pitcher Mike Puckli (Leesburg, Va.), the last of three Marist pitchers in the game, retired the next two batters on fly balls to end the threat.
Johnson (1-0) retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up an infield hit in the fourth inning. Johnson struck out five and did not issue a walk before leaving the game after retiring the first Marist batter in the seventh inning.
Sophomore Justin Pigott replaced Johnson in the seventh, working out of a jam in the seventh and yielding an unearned run in the eighth. Max Most (Port Washington, N.Y.) singled sharply past third base to open the inning, advanced to third base on a Bulldog fielding error and a failed pickoff attempt at second base, and scored on Kyle Meyer's (Greenbush, N.Y.) pinch-hit infield groundout. Pat Feeney (New City, N.Y.) opened the Marist ninth with a single to center field, but Pigott struck out the next three batters to end the game and earn the Bulldogs' first save of the campaign.
Heath (0-1) was charged with all three runs, two unearned, allowing six hits in five innings. Josh Rickards (Glenolden, Pa.) pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Heath.
Andy Rice went 2-for-3 and drove in a run to pace MSU at the plate while Feeney had two of Marist's four hits.
In the nightcap, sophomore John Lalor struck out a career-high 11 batters and the Bulldogs scored three times in their last two innings to complete the doubleheader and series sweep with a 4-2 win.
Lalor (1-0) struck out the first four Marist batters he faced and fanned seven in the first three innings, allowing but five baserunners during his 6-2/3 innings on the mound. Lalor combined with Mitch Moreland and Aaron Weatherford to pile up 16 strikeouts while giving up two unearned runs.
State claimed a 1-0 lead when Brad Jones opened the second inning with a double off Marist starter Bobby Hastry (0-1). Jones advanced a bag on Joseph Hunter's infield groundout and scored on Brian LaNinfa's grounder back to the pitcher.
Kyle Meyer's delivered back-to-back singles in the third inning against Lalor, and Marist used a Bulldog throwing error and an infield groundout by Travis Musolf (Manchester, N.J.) to tie the score at 1-1.
The Bulldogs regained the lead with an unearned run in the sixth inning. Edward Easley singled past shortstop and later scored when Hunter doubled to right-center field. State stretched its lead to 4-1 with two runs in the seventh. Andy Rice opened the frame with a walk and Jeffrey Rea and Easley followed with two-out RBI hits. Easley and Hunter paced MSU with two hits each.
State out-hit Marist 7-5, with doubles by Easley, Jones, Hunter and LaNinfa accounting for four of those hits.
Sophomore righty Mitch Moreland replaced Lalor in the seventh inning, getting the final out in the frame and then retiring three of the four batters he faced in the eighth on strikeouts. Feeney then opened the ninth with a double off Moreland, and the Bulldogs turned to true freshman Aaron Weatherford to close out the game and earn a save in his MSU pitching debut. Weatherford registered a pair of strikeouts but a fielding error allowed Marist to plate its second unearned run of the game.
The Red Foxes will now turn their attention to a weekend series at Norfolk State, which begins with a Saturday doubleheader at 1:30 p.m.
