Rain Forces Baseball Game to End in a Tie

[sportdawg]

LaTechSports.com
Posted Mar 5, 2003 18:46:59

STARKVILLE, Miss. - For just the third time in 101 years of Louisiana Tech baseball, a Bulldog baseball game ended in a tie as Tech and ninth-ranked Mississippi State played to a 5-5 deadlock on Wednesday afternoon.

The game ended in the seventh inning when heavy rains moved into the Starkville area.

Tech (5-8-1) had the potential go-ahead run at second base with one out when the game ended. Officially, the game is ruled as a tie and statistics that occurred through the end of the sixth inning will count.

A Tech game has not ended in a deadlock since a 2-2 tie with St. Mary’s during the 1980 season. The only other tie in Tech’s baseball history was a 6-6 tie against Nebraska in 1973.

Tech jumped out to a five run lead in the third inning. The big blow was a grand slam by first baseman Kyle Humprheys which game after Fairon Allen drove in a run with an RBI single. The Bulldog recorded five hits in the frame. The Bulldogs would only record one hit the remainder of the contest.

Mississippi Sate (6-1-1) chipped away at the Tech advantage before tying the game by scoring three unearned runs in the sixth inning. The inning was extended after an error by Bulldog third baseman Jody Wood. Mississippi State took advantage of the extra out as Jon Mungle lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score one run before Steve Gendron drove in two with a double down the right field line. This tied the score at 5-5.

MSU had scored single runs in the third and fourth innings off of Tech reliever Brad Chedister, who struggled with his control in the contest by walking five in 1.2 innings of action. Matthew Maniscalco scored from third base when Gendron reached on an error by Robinson at shortstop. Chedister escaped further damage when Matthrew Brinson grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jon Lockwood was effective in the start on the mound for Tech. The junior pitched the first two innings and allowed two hits and struck out one.

Chedister and Jason Schneider pitched in relief for Tech.

In the fourth inning, Chedister walked four men in the frame but Tech escaped by allowing only one run. J.B. Hunter fouled out to right field for a sacrifice fly to score Mississippi State’s only earned run of the game.

Allen posted two hits for the Bulldogs in the game.

Louisiana Tech returns home this weekend to open Western Athletic Conference play against top-ranked Rice (12-1). Friday's game is at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday the game will start at 1 p.m.

[sportdawg]

Rain Ends Bulldog Comeback In 5-5 Tie With Louisiana Tech

Mar 05, 2003

Official Game Statistics

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Persistent rain brought a halt to a solid comeback effort by 10th-ranked Mississippi State and Wednesday afternoon's competition at Dudy Noble Field as MSU (6-1-1) and Louisiana Tech 5-8-1) battled to a 5-5 tie. It marked the second tie in 13 months for MSU, which hosts Lipscomb University in a three-game series this weekend.

Kyle Humphreys' grand slam off MSU starter Jacob Blakeney capped a five-run third-inning burst that staked Louisiana Tech to a 5-0 lead. Fairon Allen had a pair of singles and drove in a run to open the game's scoring in the inning.

But Mississippi State battled back, scoring single runs in the third and fourth frames. MSU pulled even with three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth, the last two on a Steve Gendron double into the right field corner.

Play was halted and the infield covered in the top of the seventh with one out and a Tech runner on second base. But the game was ended after a delay of nearly one hour when heavy rain rendered the field unplayable.

Gendron went 2-for-2 while Matthew Maniscalco extended his season-opening hitting streak with a single and scored MSU's first run in the third inning. The Bulldogs hit into a pair of costly inning-ending double plays and left the bases loaded in the fourth.

Jon Lockwood started and pitched two scoreless innings before giving way to Brad Chedister in the third. Chedister walked five of the 11 batters he faced and was replaced in the fourth by Jason Schneider, on the hill in the sixth when MSU tied the game with three runs.

Blakeney gave up five runs on five hits and struck out four in four innings. Brooks Dunn replaced Blakeney to start the fifth and Jeff Lacher, who retired the three batters he faced in the sixth, was being replaced by Brian Owens in the seventh when play was halted.

Mississippi State opens a three-game weekend series against first-time opponent Lipscomb University Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday's game as a special Noon start time while Sunday's 1:30 p.m. series finale has been designated as Scout Day at Dudy Noble Field. All area Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts will receive free admission to the game.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 5, LOUISIANA TECH 5


LTU 005 000 -- 5 6 2
MSU 001 103 -- 5 7 0
WP -- None. LP -- None. HR -- Kyle Humphreys (2). T -- 1:54. ATT -- 5,313 (paid), 714 (actual).