STARKVILLE - Brian Clark had a pair of hits and 3 RBI as Mississippi State stomped the UK baseball team 13-7 to claim the rubber game of a three-game series yesterday.
The Wildcats (15-14, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) jumped on top 4-0 after the first three innings of play, but Mississippi State scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game.
The Bulldogs (19-8, 2-4) then erupted for a six-run fifth inning to take a 10-4 lead. UK closed to within 10-7 in the eighth, but MSU tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the inning.
Poor defense led to a rocky outing for UK starter Curtis Whitney. Whitney (2-4) took the loss, allowing eight runs (only four earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched.
MSU's David Hooten (3-0) picked up the win in relief of starter Eric DuBose. Hooten gave up a run on three hits over the game's final 4 1/3 innings.
Jay Tedesco had three hits for UK, and Chad Green and Paul Blandford added two each. Blandford's first-inning RBI single opened the scoring.
On Saturday, Mississippi State broke open a 2-2 game in the seventh inning with a home run from Scott Tribolet and a three-run triple by Ricky Joe Redd en route to a 7-5 win.
Scott Polk (3-1) picked up the win for the Bulldogs, allowing five runs over eight innings while striking out eight.
For the game, Redd went 3-for-4 with a triple and a double. The win was the first conference victory of the year for State. The Bulldogs had started 0-4 in the SEC for the first time in school history.
On Friday, UK freshman Scott Downs picked up his third win of the season and continued to pile up huge strikeout numbers as the Cats won 5-3 in 10 innings.
Downs (3-4) pitched all 10 innings for UK, and though the lefthander allowed three runs and nine hits, he struck out 14 while walking only one.
Chad Green was the offensive star for UK, collecting three hits and two RBI, including an inside-the-park home run, his first homer of the season. Jay Tedesco also hit a home run, his fifth of the season.
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