‘A bad dream’: Top-ranked Tennessee pours it on Mississippi State baseball in series opener – The Dispatch

STARKVILLE — Logan Tanner raced round third and headed for the plate.

The Mississippi State catcher did his finest to carry dwelling a second run on Hunter Hines’ seventh-inning single, however Tanner couldn’t make it. He was tagged laborious in entrance of the dish as cheers at Dudy Noble Subject turned rapidly into boos directed on the umpiring crew.

Tanner was out, however MSU had lastly lower into top-ranked Tennessee’s lead.

Not by a lot, although.

Luke Hancock’s run on the play was the Bulldogs’ first tally all evening, whittling the Volunteers’ benefit again to a mere 20 runs.

Tennessee promptly responded within the prime of the eighth with a two-run homer.

So it went Friday because the Vols (47-7, 24-5 SEC) continued to rack up the runs in a 27-2 shellacking of Mississippi State (26-28, 9-18 Southeastern Convention) in Starkville.

“You’ve simply received to neglect that ever occurred and give it some thought as a dream — a nasty dream, clearly,” Tanner mentioned.

By advantage of the loss and Missouri’s 11-3 win at Georgia, MSU fell into final place within the SEC with two video games remaining. The Bulldogs might want to win each — and obtain assist from both Arkansas or Auburn — to even make subsequent week’s convention event in Hoover, Alabama.

And primarily based on the best way Thursday’s sport unfolded, that final result appears extremely unlikely.

Possibly it was the back-to-back-to-back solo homers within the first inning. Possibly it was the five-run third or the seven-run seventh. Possibly it was Mississippi State’s incapability to file successful by way of greater than six innings.

There have been indicators — and loads of them — that MSU was no match for Tennessee.

The Volunteers outclassed the Bulldogs all night, pushing their lead as huge as 21 runs earlier than Hines’ single plated Mississippi State’s first run. Tanner Leggett’s eighth-inning solo shot accounted for MSU’s different rating.

Aside from that, it was all Tennessee.

The nation’s top-ranked workforce smacked 25 hits, together with 5 doubles and 7 dwelling runs, towards six totally different Mississippi State pitchers. Each Bulldogs hurler all allowed three or extra runs, and Tennessee scored in seven totally different frames.

MSU starter Brandon Smith lasted simply three innings, giving up 11 hits and eight runs alongside the best way. Smith allowed three consecutive one-out solo homers within the first inning and allowed a sac fly and double within the third earlier than Blake Burke despatched a dangling curveball into the second stage of the lounge in proper middle area for a three-run bomb.

“The ball was up,” coach Chris Lemonis mentioned. “It’s the main dwelling run workforce within the nation, and the wind’s blowing out of the stadium, and we’re pitching up in the midst of the zone. They’re going to hit some balls, they usually received a maintain of some balls.”

Second baseman Jorel Ortega carried a lot of the load for the Vols from there, ending 5 for 7 on the evening with a whopping eight RBIs. Ortega — who had the third-inning RBI double — additionally crushed a three-run homer within the sixth, hit an RBI single within the seventh, hit a two-run shot within the eighth and doubled off the wall within the ninth.

Catcher Evan Russell was 4 for five and drove in three runs for Tennessee. First baseman Luc Lipcius went 3 for five with three RBIs.

In the meantime, Vols starter Chase Dollander was lights out by way of six innings. Dollander threw simply 67 pitches and saved Mississippi State hitless all through, giving up solely a third-inning stroll to shortstop Lane Forsythe.

“He threw 97 wherever he needed it, and he threw a fairly good slider and combined his pitches properly and saved us off stability,” Tanner mentioned. “He was actually good tonight. He had all his stuff working.”

Dollander threw his remaining pitch together with his workforce main 14-0, however Tennessee was removed from achieved. The Vols added seven runs within the seventh towards freshman pitchers Jack Walker and Cole Cheatham, scored two within the eighth on Ortega’s second homer and added 4 within the ninth due to a bases-clearing double towards little-used left-hander Andrew Walling.

Mississippi State will hope for a greater efficiency at 6 p.m. Friday within the second sport of the sequence.

Then once more, in contrast with Thursday’s ugly loss, something will appear higher.

“You need to have some optimistic vibes going out of the 12 months, particularly at dwelling,” Tanner mentioned. “You need to finish on a great word right here and play properly in entrance of the followers.”

Theo DeRosa studies on Mississippi State sports activities for The Dispatch. Comply with him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.