NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont baseball team (2-3, 0-0) will head to Starkville, Miss. to take on its second SEC opponent in as many games, as the Bruins will face Mississippi State (5-0, 0-0) in a three game series beginning Friday. This will mark the first meeting between Belmont and the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.
Mississippi State has started the 2011 season hot, winning its first five games of competition. The Bulldogs topped Akron and Lamar in two games a piece during opening weekend action, before defeating Northwestern State on Tuesday by a score of 6-4. MSU is getting it done from the plate and the mound in the early going this year. The Bulldogs have four players hitting .500 or better as Cody Freeman leads the way with a mark of .583 and two doubles. Jarrod Parks has added three doubles, a triple, six runs batted in and a team high 15 total bases to go along with his .556 batting average. Both Devin Jones and Chris Stratton went six or more innings deep in starting appearances so far. The former allowed only one hit and no runs with four strikeouts, while the latter struck out 10 and walked only one with no runs allowed.
Belmont received quality pitching, but not enough offense and a few timely defensive mistakes, as Vanderbilt topped the Bruins by a score of 6-2 at Hawkins Field in Nashville on Wednesday. Ranked third in the nation in the most recent poll, the Commodores scored three in the fourth inning, capitalizing on an error and a passed ball to take a 4-0 lead early in the game. The Bruins fought back with a run in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but it wasn't enough as VU ended up with the 6-2 victory. Freshman Greg Brody (Dacula, Ga.) recorded the first RBI of his young career as he doubled down the left field line to score senior Vinny Casha (Nashville, Tenn.) in the top of the seventh.
Game Notes - Belmont at Mississippi State
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