State Drops Battle With Iowa, 5-3

Friday, March 4

Starkville

2:30 PM

Mississippi State

8-2

Iowa

2-5

Iowa

Mississippi State

State Drops Battle With Iowa, 5-3

March 04, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State pounded out 10 hits but stranded 13 base runners in a 5-3 college baseball loss to Iowa Friday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.

The Hawkeyes (2-5) broke a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in the fifth inning. A 2-hour, 9-minute delay during the top of the fifth ended the day for MSU starting pitcher Devin Jones. After the resumption of play, the Hawkeyes pushed the two tallies across and the Bulldogs (8-2) could not pull even or ahead the rest of the way.

"We weren't focused after the rain delay," said MSU head coach John Cohen, who was ejected in the fourth inning after a controversial play at the plate. "We just didn't have good at-bats."

Iowa scored a lone run in the first inning. Trevor Willis began the game with a wind-blown triple. A follow-up groundout by Zach McCool brought Willis home.

The Bulldogs answered with a lone run in the fourth inning. Jonathan Ogden began things with a one-out double. Daryl Norris followed with a single to right field. Ogden was retired at the plate on a bang-bang play which drew a heated argument from Cohen.

Ryan Collins followed with a single. Brent Brownlee reached as a hit batsman to load the bases. Wes Thigpen drew a bases-loaded walk. A groundout worked the Hawkeyes out of further damage.

In the fifth inning, Taylor Zeutenhorst had a leadoff single for the Hawkeyes. After a sacrifice bunt by Kurt Lee, the rain delay hit. When play resumed, new MSU pitcher C.C. Watson was reached for an infield RBI-bunt single by Willis. Mike McQuillan followed with a two-out RBI-single.

The Bulldogs closed within 3-2 on an RBI-double by Cody Freeman in the fifth inning.

Iowa expended the lead with single scores in the seventh and eighth innings. Meanwhile, MSU missed a golden opportunity with three walks loaded the bases but the hosts failed to score in the seventh inning.

Down 5-2, the Bulldogs had one last chance in the ninth inning. A hit batsman and three straight hits by Jarrod Parks, Freeman and Ogden produced one run. However, back-to-back strikeouts snuffed this final threat.

"Our older guys are trying to do too much right now," Cohen said. "We have to calm them down and focus them on what they can do. It all comes back to me. We will correct everything and be ready to play tomorrow."

Zach Kenyon (1-0) pitched four innings in relief of starter Jarred Hippen to earn the win. Kenyon allowed two hits and one run (earned), with eight strikeouts and three walks. Kevin Lee worked the ninth inning for his first save.

Jones (1-2) pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs (both earned), with four strikeouts and two walks. Andrew Busby and Luis Pollorena followed Watson to the mound.

MSU received multiple hits from Bradford, Freeman, Ogden and Collins.

Willis had four of Iowa's 12 hits. McCool and Tyler Blaser each added multiple hits for the Hawkeyes.

In Friday's opener at Dudy Noble, Georgia State defeated Iowa, 10-6.

The Bulldogs return to action with a pair of games Saturday. MSU plays Georgia State at noon Saturday and Iowa at 4 p.m. Saturday. The weekend four-team round-robin tournament ends with another pair of games on Sunday.