SEC baseball roundups

MISSISSIPPI 8, LSU 2

Mississippi center fielder J.B. Woodman hit 2 two-run home runs, sparking the Rebels (33-12, 12-9 SEC) to a 2-1 series victory over LSU (28-16, 11-10) at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss.

Woodman became the first Rebel to hit two home runs in a game since Sikes Orvis did it last May at Missouri. Woodman went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. He hit 3 home runs over the weekend, driving in 8 runs and threw 3 runners out at home plate.

Colby Bortles and Tate Blackman had three hits each for the Rebels, who had 13 hits as a team, while Woodman and Cameron Dishon had two hits each. Blackman, Woodman and Bortles went a combined 8-for-12 with 7 runs scored and 6 RBI.

"We swung it well all weekend from top to bottom," Mississippi Coach Mike Bianco said. "We were able to get guys on, move them around and score some runs, which is all we hoped for against a team like LSU."

Andy Pagnozzi (Fayetteville) pitched 32/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn his seventh victory of the season. Six of those victories have come in relief, which leads the Rebels' pitching staff.

"Pagnozzi came in there and did what he does -- he has lots of guts and made some pitches," Bianco said. "He gave us good innings to get [closer Will] Stokes on the mound in the eighth."

Chris Reid was 4 for 4 to lead LSU offensively. Tigers starter John Valek III (6-2) took the loss as Mississippi scored 4 runs on 4 hits in 11/3 innings off Valek.

SOUTH CAROLINA 2,

FLORIDA 1

South Carolina (34-9, 15-5) got a home run from right fielder Gene Cone in the top of the seventh that proved to be the difference in Saturday's game between the top two teams in the Eastern Division at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C.

Florida (37-7, 14-6) scored its run in the top of the second on a one-out home run from center fielder Buddy Reed. South Carolina answered in the bottom of the inning when Dom Thompson-Williams scored on LT Tolbert's single to center field.

Cone was the only player to have multiple hits for South Carolina, which had five as a team. Florida had just six hits, led by second baseman Deacon Liput, who went 2 for 4. South Carolina starter Braden Webb (9-2) got the victory. He had 7 strikeouts and 3 walks in 71/3 innings. Tyler Johnson got his fourth save of the season after allowing just 1 hit with 3 strikeouts in 12/3 innings. Florida reliever Kirby Snead (3-1) took the loss after allowing Cone's home run. He also had 3 strikeouts in 11/3 innings.

AUBURN 10, KENTUCKY 6

Auburn (20-23, 7-13) scored four runs in the eighth inning after coming back from a five-run deficit earlier in the game and setting up the chance to sweep Kentucky (25-17, 10-10) today in Auburn, Ala.

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first on an RBI double from JaVon Shelby, an RBI groundout from Dorian Hairston and an RBI single from Riley Mahan to take a 3-0 lead. Zach Reks added a two-run home run in the second for a 5-0 lead.

Auburn responded in the bottom of the second with a three-run triple from Anfernee Grier to cut the lead to 5-3. Jackson Burgreen hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 5-5. Burgreen scored on Kyler Deese's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead, but the Wildcats tied it 6-6 in the seventh on Shelby's second RBI double of the game.

The Tigers took control of the game in the eighth. Niko Buentello led off with a double to right field, then Burgreen and Damon Haecker drew one-out walks to load the bases. Buentello scored on a wild pitch for a 7-6 lead, then Deese walked to reload the bases. Cody Nulph followed with a two-run single and Grier had an RBI single to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead.

Burgreen was 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI for Auburn, while Grier was 2 for 4 with 4 RBI. Shelby and Reks were both 3 for 5 to lead Kentucky, while Evan White was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored. Casey Mize got the victory after allowing 4 hits with 3 strikeouts in 3 innings. Dylan Dwyer took the loss after giving up a run on a hit to the only batter he faced.

ALABAMA 4-1,

MISSISSIPPI STATE 3-2

Alabama scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win Saturday's first game, but Mississippi State split the doubleheader after a career night from freshman pitcher Konnor Pilkington.

Scheduled as two seven-inning games, the opener went to the ninth. Both teams scored two runs in the fourth inning and Mississippi State had a 3-2 lead after the top of the ninth, but Alabama responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

The Bulldogs got a two-run double down the right-field line from Reid Humphreys in the fourth inning, while the Crimson Tide scored on Keith Holcombe's RBI groundout and Will Haynie's double to center field.

Ryan Gridley hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to score Mike Smith, giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. The Crimson Tide (25-20, 10-11) scored twice in the ninth, taking advantage of four walks and a sacrifice bunt to tie the game 3-3. Chance Vincent, who finished 2 for 4 and was the only Alabama player with multiple hits, then hit an RBI single to center field for the game winner.

Mississippi State managed eight hits, led by Jack Kruger and Gavin Collins, who were both 2 for 4. Bulldogs reliever Ryan Cyr took the loss after giving up a walk and the winning run in the ninth inning. Alabama reliever Matt Foster earned the victory after allowing an unearned run on 1 hit with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in 22/3 innings.

Pilkington (2-1) worked a career-long 52/3 innings for Mississippi State in the second game, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits with a career-high 7 strikeouts and 2 walks. Daniel Brown retired four of the five batters he faced for his first save of the season.

The Bulldogs (30-14-1, 12-9) have won all four SEC road series this season, with victories at Vanderbilt, Florida, LSU and now Alabama. They have won six conference series this season and remain in a second-place tie with Mississippi in the Western Division. This is the first time since 1997 that Mississippi State has opened the conference season with four consecutive road series victories.

VANDERBILT 10, GEORGIA 3

Vanderbilt (33-10, 12-8 SEC) jumped on Georgia early, scoring six combined runs in the second, third and fourth innings at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn.

The Commodores scored three of those runs in the second inning. Jason Delay reached on a throwing error by Georgia shortstop Nick King with one out, then advanced to second when Will Toffey reached on a bunt single. The runners moved up on a wild pitch, then both scored on Connor Kaiser's triple down the right-field line. Kaiser scored on the inning's second wild pitch, giving Vanderbilt a 3-0 lead.

The lead grew to 4-1 in the third when Bryan Reynolds, who hit a one-out single, scored on Julian Infante's double to left-center field. Toffey tripled to left-center field to begin the fourth inning for the Commodores, then scored on Tyler Campbell's double down the left-field line. Campbell advanced to third on Kaiser's sacrifice bunt, then scored on Ro Coleman's single through the right side for a 6-1 lead.

Georgia (22-22, 7-13) cut the lead to 6-3 in the seventh inning on a two-run home run by Stephen Wrenn, but Vanderbilt responded with four runs in the eighth on an error, a wild pitch and a two-run double from Nolan Rogers.

Toffey was 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored, while Campbell was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored. Kyle Wright earned the victory after allowing all 3 Georgia runs, all earned, on 5 hits with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk in 7 innings. Connor Jones took the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing 7 runs -- 4 earned -- on 10 hits with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks in 7 innings.

MISSOURI 6, TENNESSEE 5

Tennessee scored four runs in the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead, but Missouri came back with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers (23-21, 6-14 SEC) led 3-0 early, thanks to Ryan Howard's first-inning home run and Brett Bond's two-run home run in the second. It remained that way until the Volunteers (24-19, 6-14) scored four runs in the seventh inning. Nick Senzel led off with a home run before Vincent Jackson reached on Missouri first baseman Zach Lavy's error. Jackson advanced to second when Jordan Rodgers reached on Trey Harris' error in right field. Benito Santiago then doubled to left field to score Jackson. Leno Ramirez followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Rodgers to tie the game at 3-3. Jared Pruett followed with an RBI single to center field to take a 4-3 lead.

Missouri tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh on Kirby McGuire's RBI single, but Senzel hit his second home run of the game in the eighth to give Tennessee a 5-4 lead. The Tigers took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth, using RBI singles from Lavy and Harris to set the final margin.

Bond and Connor Brumfield were both 2 for 4 to lead Missouri, while Santiago was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles for Tennessee. Missouri reliever Austin Tribby (3-3) earned the victory after allowing 1 hit with 2 strikeouts in 11/3 innings. Andy Cox (2-5) took the loss after allowing Missouri's runs in the eighth inning. He gave up 3 hits with 1 strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Sports on 05/01/2016

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