STARKVILLE, Miss. — LSU’s offense continued to struggle against the Southeastern Conference’s top-rated pitching staff, as Mississippi State’s Alan Johnson shut out the Fighting Tigers on four hits to allow the Bulldogs to clinch the weekend series with a 5-0 victory on Saturday at Dudy Noble Field.
LSU (31-16-1, 15-7-1) dropped its second consecutive SEC road series, and as was the case two weeks ago at Vanderbilt, the Tigers find themselves in need of a victory in the series finale Sunday to avert their first sweep in SEC play since dropping three at Arkansas in 2001.
Sunday’s 1:30 p.m. contest will be televised in Louisiana by the Jumbo Sports Network and is available in other SEC markets on Comcast Sports Southeast.
Mississippi St. (33-12-1, 14-8) moved to within a game and a half of first place LSU and won its fist conference series since sweeping archrival Ole Miss on the final weekend of March.
Johnson (5-2) fired his second shutout of the season, joining a two-hitter he spun against Ole Miss on March 29. Johnson allowed just two LSU runners to get past first base and struck out five while walking none, retiring the side in order in five innings.
The Tigers (No. 6 Collegiate Baseball, No. 10 Baseball America, No. 12 ESPN/USA Today) suffered their first shutout since losing both games of last year’s super regional at Rice, 6-0 and 3-0, and were handed their first shutout in a conference game since a 13-0 loss to Mississippi St. in Starkville on March 25, 2001.
J.C. Holt and Ivan Naccarata were the only Tigers to collect hits, as Naccarata was 2-for-3 and Holt 2-for-4.
The Bulldogs (No. 16 Baseball America, No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 Collegiate Baseball) broke open a close game in the sixth inning, as the first five batters of the inning reached safely.
Brad Corley led off the inning with a double off of LSU starter Bo Pettit, and then went to third on a single to center by Robby Goodson. J.B. Tucker collected his second RBI of the game one batter later with a base hit to score Corley, and Pettit was removed after walking Jon Mungle.
Reliever Billy Sadler came in for Pettit and fared little better, giving up a two-run single to ninth-place hitter Thomas Berkiery over the drawn in LSU infield. Sadler stemmed the tide by striking out the next three batters in order to end the inning.
State took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double into the left field corner by J.B. Tucker that plated Brad Corley all the way from first base. The Bulldogs added another run in the fifth when Maniscalco doubled home Berkery.
Tucker and Berkery each drove in two runs and collected two hits for the Bulldogs.
Pettit (7-2) took his first loss since April 5 against South Carolina, giving up five runs on seven hits in five-plus innings, walking three and striking out six.
LSU (31-16-1, 15-7-1) 000 000 000– 0 4 1
MSU (33-12-1, 14-8) 010 013 00x– 5 9 0
Bo Pettit, Billy Sadler (6), Jason Determann (8) and Matt Liuzza; Alan Johnson and J.B. Tucker.
WP–Johnson, 5-2.
LP–Pettit, 7-2.
2B–LSU: J.C. Holt (6); MSU: J.B. Tucker (5); Matthew Maniscalco (10), Brad Corley (12).
T–2:24.
A–7,561 (paid); 7,162 (actual).