Alabama Baseball Falls in Sunday Matchup at No. 5 Mississippi State, 13-3
Alabama baseball fell to fifth-ranked Mississippi State, 13-3, on Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. Following the series finale, the Crimson Tide is 23-14 overall, 4-11 in Southeastern Conference play.
Alabama was able to collect 11 hits compared to State’s 17 but could not match the Bulldogs in runs. Seven of the nine starters recorded at least one knock with freshman T.J. Reeves, sophomore Tyler Gentry and junior Johnny Hawk each contributing two hits apiece. Hawk added a solo home run, his third of the season, to go with an RBI and a run scored.
On the mound, Mississippi State reliever Cole Gordon (4-0) earned the win with 2.2 innings of relief work. Alabama starter Casey Cobb (0-1) suffered the loss .
Mississippi State put up three runs apiece in each of the first two innings. The Bulldogs then added one in the bottom of the fourth with Alabama countering in the next inning. The Crimson Tide got on the board in the top of the fifth thanks to the solo home run from Hawk, making it a 7-1 game. State came right back with two runs in the home half of the fifth for a 9-1 advantage.
The Crimson Tide was able to cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the seventh, using a two-out rally to plate the pair. Junior John Trousdale drew a walk to start things before an RBI-double from senior Keith Holcombe brought Trousdale in. A walk in the next at-bat put two on before a single from junior Morgan McCullough scored Holcombe to set things at 9-3. Mississippi State countered with four runs following the stretch to widen the gap to 13-3, the eventual final.
Next up for Alabama is a trip to Birmingham to face off with UAB on Tuesday, April 16. The two in-state foes will meet for a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch at Regions Field, home to the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
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