Mississippi State Opens Starkville Regional with 10-1 Win Over Lipscomb

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State opened the Starkville Regional with a commanding 10-1 victory over Lipscomb on Friday at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 17, advanced in the winner’s bracket after scoring three runs in the fourth inning, one in the sixth, and exploding for five runs in the seventh.

Starting pitcher Duke Stone delivered one of his best performances of the season, striking out 10 over six shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and did not issue a walk, improving to 7-3. Stone exited after 85 pitches, handing the ball to Tyler Pitzer with a comfortable lead.

Mississippi State (41-17) broke through against Lipscomb starter Alexander Llinas in the fourth. Reese singled, Sullivan walked, and Parker lined an RBI single. Valincius then loaded the bases with a bunt single before Stallman delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0. Parker added a solo home run in the sixth, his 14th of the season, extending the lead.

The Bulldogs blew the game open in the seventh. Frei was hit by a pitch, Reese and Sullivan drew walks, and Parker walked to score Frei. Valincius doubled in two runs, and Kevin Milewski capped the inning with a two-run single, pushing the lead to 9-0. Frei added a solo shot in the eighth, his 10th of the year, to make it 10-0.

Valincius led MSU at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Parker collected two hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Reese went 2-for-4 and scored twice. Stallman and Milewski each drove in two runs.

Lipscomb avoided the shutout with a run in the ninth. Pitzer pitched two scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one. Lipscomb’s Llinas took the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits in six-plus innings. The game drew 10,470 fans and lasted 2 hours, 41 minutes.

Mississippi State will play Saturday at 8 p.m. against the winner of the game between Cincinnati and Louisiana.

Source: Original Article