FIRST PITCH
Score: Mississippi State 9 | Queens 3
Records: Mississippi State (9-4 overall, 0-0 SEC) | Queens (2-11 overall, 0-0 ASUN)
Location: Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium (Starkville, Miss.)
 
The Short Story:
In a Friday night showdown under the Starkville lights, the Queens University of Charlotte baseball team dropped the series opener after the Mississippi State offense plated four runs over the final three frames to escape with a 9-3 victory. Despite the late scoring, the Royals went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs taking a 5-3 deficit into the seventh inning.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Mississippi State jumped on the visiting Royals in the top of the first inning with a two-out rally. Ace Reese flared a ground-rule double down the left field line and Noah Sullivan drove Reese in with a first-pitch RBI single through he right side.
-The Bulldogs added two more runs in the bottom of the second inning capitalizing on four straight free passes. Ace Reese rounded out the scoring with an RBI infield single extending the Mississippi State lead to 3-0.
-After being held scoreless through the first four innings, the Royals would execute in the top of the fifth inning follow a leadoff double down the left field line from Caleb Stewart. Freshman Lenox Lively advanced Stewart on a sacrifice bunt and Justin Hudson drove in the Royals first run with a deep sacrifice fly to right field.
-The Bulldogs would extend their lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of solo home runs off the bats of Noah Sullivan and Hunter Hines. However, Queens responded in the top of the sixth inning with two runs on two hits. Nick Alderfer got the rally started with a one-out walk before a single through the right side from Jake Barbour put runners on the corners. Barbour swiped second before a balk brought across Alderfer and moved Barbour 90 feet away. Will Budnick capitalized on the Bulldogs miscue with a jam shot ground out to the third baseman to bring across the second run of the frame.
-Mississippi State tacked on a key insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning with a timely one-out RBI single up the middle off the bat of Gatlin Sanders to extend the Bulldogs lead to 6-3.
-The high-octane Mississippi State offense would open the game up in the bottom of the eighth inning with three runs on three hits. The inning was highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles from Hunter Hines and Ross Highfill.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Outfielder Caleb Stewart led the Royals offense with a 2-for-4 day at the plate for his third multi-hit game of the season. The Millwood, Georgia native scored a run and ripped his third double of the young season.
-Anibal Rivera, Nick Alderfer, Jake Barbour, and Lenox Lively rounded out the offense with a hit. Alderfer and Barbour also came around to score on the night.
-Despite going hitless on the night, junior Justin Hudson and senior Will Budnick cashed in with an RBI. Hudson extended his team-high RBI total to 12.
-Junior right-hander Landry Jurecka earned the ball for his fourth Friday night start of the season. The Greenwood, Arkansas native tossed 5.0 innings allowing five runs on six hits while striking out a pair of Bulldogs.
-Sophomore Jack Renaud tossed a scores inning of relief while striking out one batter in his sixth appearance of the season.
-Left-hander Pico Kohn got the ball for the Bulldogs and improved to 3-0 on the year with 6.0 solid innings. The southpaw surrendered three runs on four hits while striking out nine Royals.
-Three Bulldogs recorded multi-hit games as Hunter Hines led the charge with a 3-for-4 performance and three RBI, including a double and a home run.
-The Mississippi State pitching staff managed to strike out 16 Royals marking a single-game high for Queens this season.

NEXT UP
Queens and Mississippi State will return to the diamond on Saturday, March 8^th in Starkville. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on SECN+ and ESPN Plus. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Queens Athletics website.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the baseball program on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with Queens Baseball throughout the offseason. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics, to stay up to date with all of the Royals' Athletics.