No. 1 Tennessee baseball steamrolls Mississippi State, takes no-hit bid into the seventh
STARKVILLE – Eleven months after college baseball fans watched Mississippi State storm the TD Ameritrade Park field in celebration of its first national championship, they got a look at a dramatic changing of the guard upon the sport’s throne.
No. 1 Tennessee, the favorite to win the national championship, didn’t hold back against the defending champs Thursday night. The Vols (47-7, 24-5 SEC) opened their final regular season series with a 27-2 win against the Bulldogs – nearly making history along the way.
Tennessee starter Chase Dollander made quick of Mississippi State (26-28, 9-19) in another resume-building performance toward postseason accolades. He threw six no-hit innings against the Bulldogs in 67 pitches with a walk to Lane Forsythe as his lone blemish.
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He was pulled after Tennessee added seven runs in the top of the seventh, which lasted more than 30 minutes. Dollander’s replacement, Mark McLaughlin, allowed a walk to open the bottom half before a Logan Tanner single.
Mississippi State, now on a nine-game conference losing streak, got three innings from starter Brandon Smith who allowed eight runs and four home runs – including back-to-back-to-back shots in the first.
First pitch is at 6 p.m. Friday with Preston Johnson starting for Mississippi State against Tennessee freshman Chase Burns.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tennessee baseball flirts with no-hitter, beats Mississippi State 27-2
