South Alabama 9 Mercer 4
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Anthony Izzio scattered seven hits and allowed just one run in six innings pitched to lead the second-seeded University of South Alabama baseball team to a 9-4 win over third-seeded Mercer in the opening round of the NCAA Starkville Regional at Dudy Noble Field.
Izzio (4-0) struck out five and issued one walk to earn his fourth consecutive win in as many appearances. It also marked South Alabama’s first NCAA Regional win since 2006.
“Anthony (Izzio) was really good,” head coach Mark Calvi said. “I tell these guys that when you don’t have your best stuff that you have to win anyway. That was probably the worst his stuff has been in a month, but he did a really good job today. It doesn’t matter what kind of stuff you have, it’s the results and the way you fight out there that matters. And he did an outstanding job. I couldn’t be more proud of a better kid. He’s been fantastic for us. He’s a great teammate and representative of our baseball program and university.”
South Alabama Recap
Mercer Recap
Mississippi State 5 Central Arkansas 3
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State kicked off the Starkville Regional in grand fashion Friday night.
Before a Dudy Noble Field crowd of 11,102, the ninth-ranked Bulldogs beat Central Arkansas 5-3 in the final game of the opening day. Top-seeded MSU will face second-seeded South Alabama at 7 p.m. Saturday in a battle between the final two unbeatens.
For MSU, it was the first postseason win at home since winning twice to capture the 2007 Starkville Super Regional.
Friday’s attendance figure ranked 16th all-time at Dudy Noble Field and also marks MSU’s fifth largest postseason home crowd. In Friday’s opener, South Alabama knocked off Mercer 9-4. A total of 17,788 attended the two games on the MSU campus.
Mississippi State Recap
Central Arkansas Recap
