STARKVILLE, Miss. (3/21/23) – Mississippi State plated 16 runs in the first five innings before the Arkansas State baseball team mustered a pair of runs in the seventh in a 16-2 decision Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

The Red Wolves (7-12) recorded five hits – two off the bat of Wil French – while MSU (14-8) pounded out 18 hits in the contest. Kody Darcy drove in both of A-State’s runs with a two-run double in the seventh.

MSU plated four runs in the first off A-State starter Chase Armstrong (1-1) before Max Charlton entered to record the final two outs in the frame. The Bulldogs tacked on five more in the second and four in the third to build a double-digit lead, including a two-run fourth-inning home run by Colton Ledbetter, who went 3-for-3 with four runs and four RBIs.

Bradley Loftin (2-1) tossed five shutout innings for the Bulldogs, striking out nine and walking two while allowing three hits in the start.

Luke Hancock drove in one of his three RBIs with a single in the fifth to cap off the hosts’ scoring output.

A-State threatened with runners at second and third in the fifth, but a strikeout ended the inning to preserve Loftin’s shutout outing. The Red Wolves loaded the bases in the sixth but were unable to push across a run.

The Red Wolves ended the Bulldogs’ shutout bid in the seventh on Darcy’s two-run double that plated French and Blake Burris, as the Scarlet and Black took advantage of a Bulldog error that kept the inning alive.

Michael Finan finished the contest on the mound for A-State, pitching a career-high three innings without allowing a run and striking out two.

NEXT UP

A-State looks to move back into the win column Wednesday, concluding its road swing at Memphis. First pitch against the Tigers is slated for 5 p.m. at FedEx Park, with the game being broadcasted live on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will be carried on The Ticket Radio Network stations 95.3, 96.9 and 970 AM in Jonesboro, as well as online at 953theticket.com.

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