Mississippi State Second Baseman Jeff Rea Handles the Job in Clutch

Rea Leads Ole Miss To Big Victory with Two-out Hit

May 8, 2005

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Jeffrey Rea's two-out single scored two runs in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon lifting Mississippi State (30-16, 11-12 SEC) to a series-clinching 5-3 win over No. 12 Alabama (34-16, 14-10 SEC). MSU won the series opener 7-3 Friday and Alabama claimed Saturday's contest 5-3.

    The win, coupled with Sunday's other Southeastern Conference results, vaulted Mississippi State back into fourth place in SEC's the rugged Western Division and back to seventh place in the league's overall standings. It was the fifth series win in eight weekends of league play and State's 13th home series win over Alabama in the last 15. MSU has three-game SEC sets remaining at Florida this weekend and at Dudy Noble Field against LSU May 20-22, the final weekend of league play.

    "What a great two-out hit by Jeffrey Rea and what a great pitching performance by Mike Valentine," said coach Ron Polk. "We've been playing from behind a lot lately, so it was good to come back and get the win with the timely hit, which which just couldn't get in Saturday's game."

    It was the third game-winning RBI for Rea and a career-longest 4-2/3 innings pitching performance by Valentine.

    For the third straight day Alabama jumped out to an early lead. Back-to-back doubles off MSU starter Jon Crosby by Morrow Thomley and Zac Welch to open the second plated one run. A second run came home when Cale Iorg's infield grounder was misplayed by shortstop Bunky Kateon.

    State answered quickly, scoring three times in the second inning with four hits. Joseph McCaskill opened the frame with a sharply hit single up the middle off UA starter Brandon Belcher. Brad Corley followed with a double and Joseph Hunter drove McCaskill home with a sacrifice fly to center field. A walk and a pop-up later, Jeffrey Rea and Ed Easley delivered back-to-back RBI singles that moved the Bulldogs back on top 3-2.

    Thomley opened the fourth with a double and raced home on a two-bagger by catcher Kody Valverde. it was the fifth of seven doubles among Alabama's nine hits.

    Both teams changed pitchers in the fifth inning. Alabama turned to David Robertson, who earned the save in Saturday night's 5-3 win. Robertson left Bulldog base-runners stranded in scoring position in the fifth and sixth and set the Bulldogs down in order in the seventh. But in the eighth, after ending Brad Corley's 3-for-3 day with a strikeout, Robertson gave up a single to Joseph Hunter and walked Brian LaNinfa. Pinch-hitter Jeff Butts then advanced the base-runners with a groundout to second, and Rea smoked an 0-1 offering from Davidson up the middle of the infield, scoring Hunter and LaNinfa.

    Mike Valentine (4-0), who replaced Jon Crosby in the fifth, got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the inning, faced three batters in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and worked around a lead-off walk and two-out double by Alabama in the ninth. The sophomore right-hander from Midlothian, Va., struck out four and allowed two hits during a career-longest 4-2/3 innings relief stint to earn the win.

    Brad Corley, moved to the six-hole in the MSU batting order, led all hitters with a 3-for-4 afternoon that included a team-leading 16th double of the year. Rea went 2-for-2 and matched a season-best with a three-RBI showing.

    Mississippi State continues a rugged five-games-in-five-days run Monday in Jackson, Miss., when State tangles with Birmingham-Southern (30-16) in a rescheduled Entergy baseball Series game at Smith-Wills Stadium. the Bulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field to entertain Mississippi Valley State Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and then journey to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-game series against the Florida Gators.

-- Story/Photo Courtesy of Mississippi State University Athletic Department