Strong Pitching Not Enough For Razorbacks

Box Score (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Arkansas pitching staff kept No. 3 Mississippi State in check for the majority of the game Friday night at Dudy-Noble Field, but it wasn’t enough as the Razorbacks dropped the second game of their final SEC series, 5-1, to the Bulldogs.

The Razorbacks (26-28, 7-23 SEC) put together one run on four hits, as Mississippi State (39-14, 20-9 SEC) starter Austin Sexton struck out seven batters to pick up his seventh win of the year.

Clark Eagan, Grant Koch, Eric Cole and Chad Spanberger all recorded at least one hit in the game. Eagan scored the Hogs only run in the second inning after leading off the frame with his single and later scoring on a groundout by Rick Nomura.

Koch came away with the 2-for-4 game after singling in the top of the ninth for his seventh multi-hit game of the year.

Freshman Isaiah Campbell, who got the late call for the start earlier in the day, put together three solid innings. Even though all three MSU runs scored in the third inning were with Campbell on the mound, only one was earned as a Hog throwing error led to two runs late in the inning and a 3-1 deficit.

Arkansas’ bullpen pitched well the rest of the way, holding the Mississippi State offense scoreless from the fourth through seventh innings. Jordan Rodriguez and Josh Alberius each threw effectively with Alberius striking out four, his most since April 12 against ULM.

Mississippi State added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth for the 5-1 final.

UP NEXT

The Razorbacks will play game three of the series with the Bulldogs on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. CDT on the SEC Network.

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