June 3, 2005

Final Stats |  Notes

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Brad Corley hit two of Mississippi State's five home runs and Alan Johnson threw a six-hitter to lead the Bulldogs to a 13-2 win over Florida Atlantic in an NCAA regional opener Friday.

The Southeastern Conference Tournament champs kept up their recent hot play, pounding out 13 hits and building a 7-0 lead after three innings, thanks mostly to the bat of Corley, who entered with just three homers on the year.

The Bulldogs (41-20) will play Miami in the winner's bracket Saturday. Florida Atlantic will get Virginia Comonwealth in an elimination game in the day's first game.

Corley's bat got Mississippi State off to a hot start in the first when he followed a pair of two-out walks with a three-run homer. Two innings later, after a leadoff double and a walk, Corley made it 6-0 with his second three-run shot.

Joseph McCaskill added a solo homer in the third to chase FAU's Chris Salberg (6-5), who gave up seven earned runs on five hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings.

The Owls (36-23) wouldn't recover, getting just one extra base hit, that on Jonathon Shapland's two-run homer in the sixth that made it 8-2.

Alan Johnson (5-6) struck out six and gave up just two runs on six hits and two walks in his second complete game of the season.

Brad Jones and Mitch Moreland added solo homers in the sixth and seventh for Mississippi State and a three-run eighth capped the scoring for the Bulldogs' fifth straight win.