No. 6 Bulldogs sweep Auburn with 19-10 win

AUBURN, Ala. — The No. 6 Mississippi State baseball team completed a road sweep over Auburn with a 19-10 win over the Tigers on Sunday at Plainsman Park.

The Bulldogs (24-7, 8-4 SEC) opened with 10 runs in the first inning before scoring two runs in the third inning, two in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the eighth. The Tigers (12-16, 1-11 SEC) scored two runs in the first and second innings, one in the sixth, three in the eighth and two in the ninth.

MSU outhit Auburn 17-11 and was led by sophomore Logan Tanner with a 3-for-5 day at the plate with five RBIs and three runs. Junior Luke Hancock was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs. Sophomore Kamren James added three hits, four runs and one RBI, while freshman Lane Forsythe recorded three hits and two runs.

MSU freshman starting pitcher Jackson Fristoe tossed three innings and allowed four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks. Senior Houston Harding (3-1) is credited with the win after allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts and one walk in three innings of work.

Freshman Mikey Tepper then allowed two runs on one hit with one strikeout and two walks in the seventh inning. Freshman Dylan Carmouche allowed one run and got one out in the eighth before senior Chase Patrick got the final two outs. Sophomore KC Hunt allowed a two-run home run in the ninth before closing the door with a popup to second base and a strikeout.

Freshman Joseph Gonzalez (0-3) was charged with the loss for the Tigers after pitching two-thirds of the first inning and allowing nine runs on seven hits with one walk.

A flyout began the top of the first inning before senior Tanner Allen and James hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. James then stole second and Hancock drew a walk to load the bases. Tanner followed with a two-RBI single down the left-field line. A failed pickoff attempt scored Hancock and allowed Tanner to move up to second. RBI singles from seniors Brayland Skinner and Josh Hatcher made it 5-0. Allen’s second plate appearance of the inning resulted in a three-RBI triple before Hancock’s two-RBI single to right field increased the MSU lead to 10-0 after one inning of play.

In the bottom half of the first, junior Ryan Bliss drew a walk and advanced to second on a balk. Graduate student Rankin Woley and junior Tyler Miller followed with singles to score Auburn’s first run. An RBI groundout by junior Brody Moore plated the Tigers’ second run of the frame.

A two-run home run by Bliss in the bottom of the second inning trimmed MSU’s lead to 10-4.

In the top of the third, Jordan was hit by a pitch for the second time and James drew a two-out walk. Hancock then lined a single to right field to score Jordan. Tanner drew a walk to load the bases before Skinner’s bases-loaded walk made it 12-4.

The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the fifth inning to go back up by 10 at 14-4. A groundout began the inning before Hancock singled down the left-field line. Tanner followed with a double off the right-field wall before a wild pitch scored Hancock. Graduate student Scotty Dubrule entered the game and pinch hit for senior Tanner Leggett and hit a hard single through the right side to plate Tanner.

In the top of the sixth inning, Forsythe led off with a single up the middle. Jordan was hit by another pitch before Allen reached on a fielder’s choice and sent Forsythe to third. A wild pitch scored Forsythe and James’ RBI single up the middle made it 16-4.

In the bottom half of the sixth, junior Kason Howell’s home run to left field made it a 16-5 ballgame.

A three-run home run by Tanner pushed the MSU lead to 19-5 in the top of the eighth inning. In the bottom half, a sacrifice fly from redshirt sophomore Josh Hall made it 19-6 before sophomore Brayton Brown’s two-RBI single to left field made it 19-8.

A two-run home run by sophomore Bryson Ware in the bottom of the ninth inning ended the game’s scoring at 19-10.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday when they host Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. CT at Dudy Noble Field. The game will be streaming on SEC Network+.