Hancock plates two RBIs, Sims earns second win of 2021 in relief
STARKVILLE – Luke Hancock drove in the game-tying and go-ahead runs and Landon Sims turned a game-ending double play to help the No. 5 Mississippi State baseball program to a 3-2 victory over No. 21 Kentucky on Friday (April 2) evening at Dudy Noble Field.
A two-run home run in the fourth inning for Kentucky (18-6, 5-3 SEC) opened the scoring, before Mississippi State (19-7, 4-4 SEC) pushed two across in the sixth and one in the eight to claw back for the victory. MSU won its fifth series of the season and has six winning weekends under its belt in 2021.
Starting pitcher Will Bednar struck out a career-high-tying 10 batters and surrendered just a fourth inning, two-run home run to TJ Collett. He allowed three hits and walked two – one intentional – in the no decision. Cam Tullar fired a scoreless seventh to keep the game tied at 2-2.
Sims (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings to close out the contest. The right-hander struck out two in the eighth, then fielded a sacrifice bunt for the first out before he started the double play that wrapped up the victory in the ninth.
Offensively, State saw only three base runners through the first five innings, but the sixth inning saw the first three Diamond Dawgs reach. An acrobatic slide by Brayland Skinner scored the first run of the game on a Tanner Allen single.
Luke Hancock then provided the game-tying run with a one-out sacrifice fly in the inning and followed with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Rowdy Jordan moved his reached base streak to 11 games with a 3-for-4 night at the plate, while Allen was on base three times with the RBI base hit in the sixth and a pair of hit-by-pitch.
Kentucky’s Cole Strupp (3-1) cruised through the first five innings, before running into trouble over the next three. He allowed three runs over seven official innings on six hits in the loss. Collett had a pair of hits and the two UK RBIs, while John Rhodes chipped in two hits in the game.
Quotable
Head coach Chris Lemonis
On the composure shown by Landon Sims
CL: Yeah, [the missed pop-up] wasn’t good to see … But the best thing about it was, and I told our ballclub after the game, down on the field you know you have a special player in Landon Sims when the ball falls and everybody is upset, and Landon is telling the team to relax. ‘Relax, we got this. We’re going to make a play.’ It showed a lot of maturity on his side, because he usually gets frustrated there and instead, he had so much confidence in himself and one pitch later, he’s turning the double play.
On Rowdey Jordan getting going at the plate
CL: He’s one of the better early hitters in our league. He’s done it for so many years. We’ve been missing that. There was a huge swing there later and a big swing last night. He’s an electric player when he’s going. He’s had a little bit of trouble getting started. Every guy that we get going right now, it makes it easier for everyone else to hit too. I thought Tanner [Allen] was good tonight and had a good swing. Getting Tanner, Rowdey and some of those guys going will be huge for us.
Scoring Recap
Top Fourth
John Rhodes doubled to right field before T.J. Collett hit a two-run homer to center field to take the early lead.
Kentucky 2, Mississippi State 0
Bottom Sixth
Brayland Skinner walked before Rowdey Jordan singled to left field. Tanner Allen hit an RBI single to right field with no outs before a sacrifice fly from Luke Hancock plated one more to tie the game.
Mississippi State 2, Kentucky 2
Bottom Eighth
Jordan singled to right field and advanced to second as Allen was hit-by-pitch. The duo advanced on a wild pitch before another sacrifice fly from Hancock gave MSU the lead.
Mississippi State 3, Kentucky 2
Up Next
Mississippi State and Kentucky will close out the series with a 2 p.m. first pitch against Kentucky on Saturday, April 3 at Dudy Noble Field.