Diamond Dogs Roll, Again

Mississippi State piled up 17 hits Tuesday night, as season-high nine for extra bases, as the third-ranked Bulldogs ran their record to 16-0 with a 14-2 win over Mississippi Valley State at Dudy Noble Field. The Delta Devils dropped to 2-12.

Outfielder Hunter Renfroe carried the most productive bat for the Diamond Dogs, notching his first multiple-hit/multiple-RBI game of his junior season. Renfroe plated single runs with a sacrifice fly in the third and a single in the fourth before capping the 3-for-4 night in the sixth inning with a two-run blast, his team-best third roundtripper.

MVSU combined a lead-off infield single, a hit batsman, a wild pick-off throw and Seth Milliorn’s infield groundout to claim a 1-0 lead in the first.

State second baseman Brett Pirtle tripled and scored during a two-run second inning burst that gave the Bulldogs a lead they would not surrender. Pirtle opened the fourth inning with a solo home run, his first of the year. Alex Detz went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, including a leadoff triple in the third and followed a C.T. Bradford double with an RBI two-bagger. Thirteen of the 15 Bulldog batters with at-bats hit safely in the game as State extended its series dominance of the Delta Devils to all 24 games.

Senior pitcher Luis Pollorena (3-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen. He registered two of his six strikeouts in the first inning after replacing MSU starter Brandon Woodruff. Preston Brown, Trevor Fitts and John Marc Shelly combined to blank MVSU over the final 5-1/3 innings.

MVSU starter Montana Killier (0-3) took the loss. He was charged with three runs (two earned) over three innings. Dabvid Lostra, Corwin Buchanon and Trey Lacy also saw mound duty.

The Bulldogs continue their season-opening 19-game homestand this weekend, welcoming Southland Conference leading Central Arkansas (12-1) to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game series. The Bulldogs-Bears series opens Friday at 6:30 p.m.