BULLDOG BITS
Men’s Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Despite a quality first round, Mississippi State men's golf is tied for seventh at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate after playing two rounds Saturday.
As a team, MSU shot a 20-over 596 total for the two rounds. A 6-over 294 had MSU tied for fourth after a round of play before the Bulldogs shot four strokes above par in round two.
State's best finisher was reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman Golfer of the Week Ford Clegg, who shot 3-over-par to sit tied for 23rd after day one. Senior Ross Bell was right behind Clegg at 4-over par.
Smith's team will look to bounce back in today's final round of play. Today's round will begin with an 11:45 a.m. shotgun start. MSU will play from holes 4-6.
Men’s Tennis
Fresh off an exciting 4-3 victory on Friday, the No. 8 Mississippi State men's tennis team is set for a top-25 battle of the Southeastern Conference's Bulldogs, facing No. 22 Georgia at home today beginning at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs (14-3, 6-1 SEC) are riding the momentum of a 23-match home winning streak into today's contest against the Athens-based Bulldogs (7-7, 3-3), with 13 of those victories coming in conference action. Admission to the match is free.
Softball
Locked 1-1 after seven innings, Mississippi State softball (20-9, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) forced extra innings against No. 17/13 Auburn (27-5, 4-1 SEC), but a sixth-run eighth inning lifted the Tigers to a 7-4 victory Saturday at Nusz Park to even up the series.
The Bulldogs plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the comeback fell short as the Tigers claimed game two of the series.
Four MSU players turned in multi-hit outings for State as sophomore Carter Spexarth led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI. It was the upperclassmen that drove in the remaining runs of the game headed by junior Fa Leilau who picked up two extra-base hits with a double and her 15th home run of the season.
Freshman Kayla Boseman tossed 7.2 innings against the Tigers and allowed just one unearned run until the top of the eighth inning. She allowed 11 hits and seven total runs – giving up six hits and six runs in the eighth. The right-hander struck three in the contest as she fell to 2-2 for the season.
Track and Field
Multiple school-best marks fell on Saturday, as Mississippi State completed day two of the Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays at the Mike Sanders Track Complex.
School records fell in both the women's javelin and women's pole vault, while the women's javelin also has a new freshman record-holder after MSU'S first meet of the 2019 outdoor season. The Bulldogs tallied a staggering 25 top-five finishes on the day, totaling 45 for the two-day event.
The day started off strong for MSU'S men's and women's javelin corps, as all five competitors finished in the top three of their events. On the women's side, Sarah Blake and Caroline Standley impressed in their MSU debuts, with Blake breaking the school record on her first attempt with a throw of 45.07 meters (147-10.0) to place second. Standley placed third, launching the implement 43.98 meters (144-3.0) to set the MSU freshman record.
MSU'S men put on a spectacular show, with Anderson Peters, Curtis Thompson and Tyriq Horsford taking the top three spots. Peters kicked off his NCAA javelin title defense by uncorking a throw of 82.64 meters (271-1.0) on his first attempt. Only one athlete in the world, and nobody in the NCAA, had thrown farther entering the weekend.
Curtis Thompson and Tyriq Horsford placed second and third, with tosses of 75.81 meters (248-9.0) and 68.38 meters (224-4.0), respectively. Thompson's best mark came on his first throw, while Horsford's came on his fourth attempt in his Bulldog debut.
In the women's pole vault, Peyton Mickelson cleared 3.95 meters (12-11.5) to place first and break the MSU outdoor pole vault record after breaking the indoor record nearly two months ago. Fellow freshman Emma Hunt tied for second with a mark of 3.65 meters (11-11.75).
The javelin was not the only event in which the Bulldogs went 1-2-3, as Charles Brockman III (51.23), Rasheed Tatham (51.52) and Malcum Tatum (51.98) placed first, second and third in the men's 400-meter hurdles.