Blasts from Hines fuels State offense in win over Nichols

BILOXI – Hunter Hines hit a pair of two-run home runs as part of a 12-hit attack and the Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated Nicholls 12-4 on Tuesday night.

It's the second consecutive 12-4 win for the Bulldogs as they also knocked off Lipscomb in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.

MSU won its sixthstraight game to improve the overall record to 12-5 in front of a big Bulldog crowd at MGM Park and head coach Chris Lemonis was pleased.

“Lot of maroon and white tonight and was good to see on the Coast,” Lemonis said.

Hines hit his first homer as part of a four-run first inning and the Bulldogs got off to an impressive start.

MSU added another run in the second inning to go up 5-0, then Nicholls tightened up the game a bit with two runs scored in the third inning. The Bulldogs got one of the runs back in the third to expand the margin to 6-2.

Hines was at it again in the fourth inning with another two-run homer and MSU gained an 8-2 advantage.

After the Bulldogs added a third run in the fourth to make it 9-2, Nicholls got a two-run homer of its own to close the gap to 9-4.

Colton Ledbetter had a solo homer as MSU got its 10th run of the game in the seventh.

The Bulldogs increased the margin to 12-4 with two more runs in the eighth with Wil Hoyle getting an RBI double.

Along with Hines' homers and Hoyles' double, Kellum Clark had the other extra base hit for MSU with a double.

Brock Tapper, the third pitcher of the game for the Bulldogs, got the win with two innings of work and did not give up a run. Bradley Loftin was the starter and went four innings with six strikeout and six walks. He gave up two runs on three hits.

“The key was to get Bradley to settle in there and once he gets in the strike zone, it's hard to hit him,” Lemonis said.

Former Starkville Academy hurler Evan Siary went one inning of relief and KC Hunt closed the game with two innings.

MSU plays for the second time in Biloxi today against Louisiana at 5 p.m. before making the trip to Kentucky to open Southeastern Conference play at Kentucky over the weekend.

Lemonis announced following the Nicholls game that Colby Holcombe will be the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs against the Rajin' Cajuns.