Mississippi State Blasts Three Homers in 11-1 Win vs. Memphis

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Using a trio of home runs from Brent Rooker, Gavin Collins and Luke Alexander, Mississippi State cruised passed Memphis in an 11-1 victory Wednesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 24-9-1 and turn their focus to Texas A&M for a three-game series on Super Bulldog Weekend.

“I felt like our kids came and threw strikes for the most part. We handled some defensive sequences and we got some timely hitting throughout the course of the game,” MSU head coach John Cohen said. “We’re pleased with the effort. This is a tune up we need going in to a weekend like Texas A&M.”

(Photo Courtesy: Kelly Price, MSU Athletics)

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Rooker sailed a 2-run home run over the left field wall to give the Bulldogs the lead for the remainder of the game.

MSU extended its lead to 4-1 in the third inning. After an Elih Marerro single and a Nathaniel Lowe double, Reid Humphreys hit his SEC-leading 15th double of the season to drive in a pair of runs.

The Bulldogs struck again in the fifth inning when Collins blasted a two-out solo home run. Humphreys continued the offense with a single, and Cole Gordon and Rooker drew back-to-back hit by pitches. Ryan Gridley then roped a 2-RBI single through the left side to give MSU a 7-1 lead.

“Situationally, (Gridley) understands his role. He has been so productive and it’s hard to get him out of that part of the order,” Cohen said. “He’s done such a great job with two outs. We’re proud of how far he has come in one year as a player.”

Rooker and Gridley each drove in a pair of runs in the seventh to increase the lead to 9-1. Collins and Humphreys drew a pair of walks to start the inning. After Hunter Stovall reached on a fielder’s choice, Rooker drilled an RBI double to score Humphreys and Gridley used a one-out sacrifice fly to bring home Stovall.

Rooker and Gridley each tallied three RBIs for the evening.

“It’s really important to our club to have (Rooker) going. I think he’s a lot more confident and seeing it pretty well right now,” Cohen said “For us to be as good as we need to be, Brent Rooker has got to be in the middle of it.”

Luke Alexander capped the MSU scoring in the eighth inning to set the 11-1 final. Lowe ripped a two-out single through the right side before Alexander sent a pinch-hit bomb over the left field wall for his second home run of his Bulldog career.

The three Bulldog dingers mark the sixth multi-home run game of the season.

Humphreys and Lowe also recorded multi-hit nights. Humphreys collected three hits and drove in three runs and scored twice, while Lowe went 2-for-4 at the dish and plated a pair of runs.

The Tigers, who fell to 12-21 on the season, opened the scoring in the top of the second. Following a Chris Carrier double to open the inning, Jacob Elliot sent a single up the middle to scratch the first run on the board.

On the rubber, Keegan James drew his fourth start of the season. Jacob Billingsley, Kale Breaux, Ryan Cyr, Ethan Small, Daniel Brown and Vance Tatum also saw time on the mound in relief. Breaux (2-1) picked up his second win of the season after tossing 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball, while allowing just one hit and striking out three Tiger batters.

The Bulldogs will begin the Texas A&M series at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. start for the Sunday finale. All games will be televised on SEC Network+.