MSU Baseball Drops First Road Game At Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State found the going tough in its first road game of the season.
The 20th-ranked Bulldogs could not overcome a seven-run second inning as they dropped a 10-2 decision to Kentucky in the opening game of a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

With the win, Kentucky improved to 14-7 overall and 1-3 in league play, while MSU fell to 17-7 and 1-3.

MSU managed five total hits against the Kentucky duo of Zack Brown and Zach Strecker. Brown (2-2) worked 7.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned), with five walks and four strikeouts. Strecker completed the contest with 1.2 inning of scoreless relief.

MSU built a 1-0 lead in the second inning without the benefit of a base hit.

Kentucky responded with seven runs in the home half of the seventh inning.

A sacrifice fly by Riley Mahan tied the contest. A bases-loaded walk forced in the go-ahead run. A wild pitch scored another run, before a two RBI-single by Ka’ai Tom extended the lead to 5-1 and ended the night for MSU starter Preston Brown (3-2).

Ross Mitchell worked the Bulldogs out of the inning but not before hits by Javon Shelby and Storm Wilson ran the lead to 7-1.

Wes Rea followed with a home run for the Bulldogs in the third inning. However, the Maroon and White could get no closer.

Kentucky finished with 14 hits. Tom had three hits, while Shelby, Wilson and Evan White had multiple hits.

Reid Humphreys was the lone multiple hitter for MSU. Levi Mintz, Trent Waddell and Dakota Hudson pitched in relief for the Bulldogs.

MSU and Kentucky continue their series with a 1 p.m. start Saturday.