Bulldogs sweep Hogs

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State Bulldogs completed their three-game sweep over the third-ranked Razorbacks Saturday, winning both games of a doubleheader, 5-3 and 7-5, at Dudy Noble Field.

It was the first three-game sweep Arkansas (28-13, 10-8 Southeastern Conference) suffered this season.

The Razorbacks looked to be on their way to salvaging the final game when they jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning, but could only score two more runs the rest of the way. Mississippi State (22-19, 8-10), still sixth in the SEC West despite the sweep, rallied for the second time of the weekend to score six runs over the course of the fifth, sixth,and seventh innings.

Sophomore center fielder Dominic Fletcher 4-for-7 in the two games with a run scored and a walk. Four different players recorded multi-hit games in the first game of the doubleheader, while Fletcher and senior first baseman Jared Gates were the only two with two hits or more in game two.

As a team, Arkansas had 13 hits in game one and 10 hits in game two Saturday. This year, the Hogs have totaled 10 or more hits in 24 of 41 contests and are 18-6 in those games.

In the first game of the day, the Hogs and Bulldogs were locked in a low-scoring affair as starting pitchers Kacey Murphy (5-3) and Ethan Small (4-3) battled with only four runs crossing the plate through the first six innings.

Murphy threw 6 2/3 innings with three earned runs allowed, while Small went six innings and just one earned run allowed on six hits with six strikeouts. It was Murphy's third straight start of six or more innings and he has yet to give up more than three earned runs in any appearance this season.

The Razorbacks never fully caught up to the Bulldogs as a single run in the third, a two-run fifth, and a two-run eighth were all they needed to clinch the series.

Evan Lee and Eric Cole both hit solo home runs in the late innings to pull the Hogs as close as one. Lee's came in a pinch-hit role in the seventh, his third of the year, while Cole's was part of a ninth-inning stand for his ninth of the year.

Arkansas was able to send seven batters to the plate down three runs in the ninth inning, including five with two outs starting with Cole's at-bat. The Razorbacks loaded the bases, but were unable to connect on a game-tying hit.

Freshman third baseman Casey Martin finished the game 3-for-5, just his second game this year with three or more hits. Freshman left fielder Heston Kjerstad, redshirt second baseman Carson Shaddy and Fletcher all had two hits in the game.

Arkansas jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning of the 7-5 loss in game two and looked to have new life as it tried to win at least one game of the series. The team took advantage of a Mississippi State error that led to the game's first run. It was followed by a two-RBI double from Gates, his fifth of the year.

The Hogs were only able to score two more runs over the next eight innings, which gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to win. The big inning from Mississippi State came in the sixth inning with four runs on three hits, only one being an extra-base hit.

Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Campbell (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings on Saturday, giving up five earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Campbell held Mississippi State to just two runs over the first five innings, but struggled to get out of the sixth inning as a two-out walk and a wild pitch eventually led to four runs.

Arkansas led 5-0 after five innings on Friday before giving up three runs in the sixth inning. Mississippi State scored three more in the bottom of the eighth inning to win, 6-5, to open the series.

The Razorbacks return home for their next five games, starting with a two-game midweek series against No. 5 Texas Tech (32-8, 10-4 Big 12). Game one is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the SEC Network (Resort Channel 79) with game two to air on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Sports on 04/23/2018

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