Mississippi State Eliminated From SEC Tourney In 7-2 Loss To Arkansas

Thursday, May 26

Hoover, Ala.

9:30 AM

Mississippi State

34-23

Arkansas

37-19

Arkansas

Mississippi State

Mississippi State Eliminated From SEC Tourney In 7-2 Loss To Arkansas

May 26, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

HOOVER, Ala. - Mississippi State's appearance in the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament became a brief one Thursday morning as the sixth-seeded Bulldogs dropped a 7-2 decision to second-seeded Arkansas in an elimination game played at Regions Park.

Playing in the league's year-ending event for the first time since 2007, the Bulldogs lasted 20 minutes shy of 24 hours in the double-elimination event. The Maroon and White were also 0-2 in 2007, after winning the tournament championship in 2005. Most national predictors have the Bulldogs returning to the NCAA regional field for the first time since 2007. Confirmation of that would come Monday when the NCAA releases its 64-team regional field, live at 11:30 a.m. central time on ESPN.

"I like our chances," MSU head coach John Cohen said. "We have played well enough this year to deserve a spot. I feel like if our kids get in a tournament, we have a chance to win some games. We have a chance to win a regional."

MSU completes tournament play with a 34-23 overall record. Western Division champion and 18^th-ranked Arkansas improves to 37-19. The Razorbacks will face either Alabama or Florida in another elimination game Friday afternoon.

The Razorbacks set the tone Thursday by scoring four runs in the top half of the first inning. While Arkansas did manage three hits in the frame, the Bulldogs did not aid their own cause with a walk, two wild pitches and pair of errors.

A bases-loaded RBI-single by James McCann started the Arkansas scoring. Matt Reynolds followed with another run-producing hit. The third run scored on a misplay in the outfield, while the fourth score came home on a wild pitch.

MSU starting pitcher Nick Routt (2-3) settled down after that but threw way too many pitches to make it a full day's work. Routt threw 75 pitches in 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned), with six strikeouts and three walks.

"Nick did a good job of getting ahead in counts," Cohen said. "He just couldn't finish the deal."

Down 5-0, the Bulldogs began their rally in the fourth inning. After a strikeout, Jarrod Parks lined his second hit - a single to left field. Nick Vickerson and Jaron Shepherd followed with back-to-back RBI-doubles to the left center field gap. A walk kept the inning alive, before the Bulldogs hit into the second of their three double plays in the contest.

"We felt like if we could get one more hit there, the momentum would have been on our side," Vickerson said. "We didn't catch many breaks with runners in scoring position. They found a way to make plays."

The Razorbacks stretched the lead with single scores in the fifth and sixth innings.

For the contest, MSU managed eight hits, after collecting seven in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to second-ranked Florida. Parks was the lone Bulldog with multiple hits.

Arkansas pounded out 14 hits off four MSU pitchers. James McCann had a four-hit afternoon. Bo Bingham, Collin Kuhn, Dominic Ficociello and Kyle Robinson each had multiple hits. The top five Razorbacks in the lineup were 12-of-22 for the afternoon.

D.J. Baxendale (9-2) worked five innings to earn the win. Baxendale allowed six hits and two runs (both earned), with three strikeouts and two walks. Barrett Austin faced 14 batters in four innings of two-hit shutout relief to earn his third save.

For MSU, Daryl Norris followed Routt to the mound and worked one inning. Caleb Reed allowed five hits and one run in 3.2 innings of relief, while Chris Stratton retired the side in order in the ninth inning.