GAME 5
No. 2 Arkansas 7, MSU 2
—Bulldogs are eliminated from SEC tournament with second loss in as many days. They”ll await word on an NCAA selection on Monday.
—Arkansas moves on to face the loser of Alabama-Florida at 3 p.m. Friday
WP: DJ Baxendale – 5 IP, 6H, 2ER, 3K, 2BB
LP: Nick Routt – 3 1/3 IP, 8H, 5R, 4ER, 6K, 3BB, 2 WP
—Who did work?
MSU: DH Nick Vickerson
Mississippi State”s run provider in the tournament, Vickerson had an RBI double in the fourth that was immediately followed with an RBI double from Jaron Shepherd. But similar to MSU”s loss Wednesday to Florida, teammates failed to build on the momentum he provided.
The Bulldogs trailed 5-2 after Vickerson got MSU”s stagnant offense going, but with two runners on and one out Adam Frazier grounded into a 6-3 double play.
Vickerson ended the day 1-for-3 with a run and RBI and ended the tournament with four RBIs.
—Arkansas: So. pitcher DJ Baxendale
The Razorbacks ace went five innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked two. After Arkansas built a 4-0 lead in the first inning, Baxendale retired MSU in order in the second, third and fifth inning.
The only jam Baxendale ran into was in the first, when he gave up two hits and had runners on the corners with two outs. Still, he was aided by a 6-4-3 double play and got out of the inning with a pick-off move to get the runner out at first.
—The omen?
MSU committed an error in the first inning, and in the second watched Jaron Shepherd misplay a fly-ball after wandering into foul territory, where he took his eyes off the ball to see where the bullpen mound was. The fielding miscue in the first came after Routt gave up a leadoff single, had a wild pitch that advanced a runner and gave up a walk. All three plays and the first inning error happened in the first three at-bats of the game.
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