Recap - #21 Mississippi State 4, Tennessee 3, 5/11/14

Trying to grab a crucial SEC series versus Tennessee, Mississippi State did just that, even though it required extras once again, 4-3.

Preston Brown was the starter for the Bulldogs and struggled early. He struck out one, but gave up three runs off three hits and was replaced by Lucas Laster after just one inning of work. Laster, on the other hand, had a terrific outing. He struck out five and gave up just three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Replacing Laster was Jacob Lindgren, and he had an even better showing on the mound. The struck out eight batters, giving up just three hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. It was a great weekend for Bulldog pitching.

Jacob Lindgren Struck Out Eight Batters Over 5 2/3 Innings in Mississippi State's 4-3 Win

The scoring started early, but didn't hold up for a high scoring ballgame. In the 1st, Tennessee scored twice, once off of a throwing error and another scored off of a fielder's choice groundout. The Bulldogs also scored in the 1st, because of an RBI single by Gavin Collins. Tennessee started off the 2rd with a bang, hitting a solo shot to take a 3-1 lead. The Bulldogs didn't score in the 2nd, no one scored in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th, but that all changed in the 7th. Wes Rea, who has been struggling at the plate all year, stepped up and hit a two run homer to tie the game up at 3, and that score would hold up into extra innings. No one scored in the 10th and 11th, but in the 12th, Mississippi State had the bases loaded with nobody out. Now, we have seen this situation before this weekend and it didn't work out so well, as there were no runs plated across, and this time it looked like that would be the same, with an Alex Detz fly out and Demarcus Henderson being called out at the plate on a fielder's choice, but no. Cody Walker stepped up to the plate and got ahead of the count 3-0, and after the UT pitcher threw one strike, Walker got walked, giving MSU the 4-3 victory. 

Cody Walker's Teammates Celebrate His Walk Off Walk in MSU's 4-3 Victory

Mississippi State improves to 33-19, 16-11 and will finish off their regular season on the road in Tuscaloosa, as they battle Alabama in a weekend series.