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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Mississippi State (SEC Championship)
Rebels SEC Tournament Run Falls Short
5/29/2005 | Baseball
May 29, 2005
Box Score
HOOVER, Ala. - Junior left-hander Brooks Dunn pitched 6 2/3 innings to pitch Mississippi State to its sixth Southeastern Conference Tournament title with a 4-1 win over No. 14 (Sports Weekly/ESPN) Ole Miss in the 2005 SEC Tournament Championship Game Sunday afternoon, in front of 12,290 at Hoover-Metropolitan Stadium.
The Bulldogs improved to 40-20 with the win and captured their first SEC Tournament title since 2001, while the Rebels dropped to 44-18. The SEC Tournament Championship Game appearance was Ole Miss' first since winning the inaugural tournament in 1977.
Dunn (6-2) limited the Rebels to one run on five hits and three walks, while striking out three in 6 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Mississippi State scored three runs in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Jeff Butts and Michael Rutledge hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, and Jeffrey Rea followed with a double down the left field line to score Butts and make it 1-0. Ed Easley then hit a two-run single up the middle to plate Rutledge and Rea.
Butts led-off the fifth with a home run down the right field line, his second of the year, to extend Mississippi State's lead to 4-0.
Ole Miss loaded the bases in the sixth but could not push a run across as Brooks Dunn struck out Mark Wright to end the inning and preserve the 4-0 lead. The Rebels broke through the in the seventh on C.J. Ketchum's pinch-hit RBI single to score Zack Cozart.
Brett Cleveland then came on in relief of Dunn following Ketchum's single and struck out Cooper Osteen to end the inning with runners on first and second.
Cleveland also worked the eighth and ninth innings to earn his fourth save of the season, striking out four in 2 1/3 innings of work.
Junior right-hander Mark Holliman (7-4) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks, while striking out four in three innings.
Rea was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Butts finished 2-for-3 to pace Mississippi State.
Barry Gunther went 2-for-3 to lead Ole Miss at the plate.
The Bulldogs out-hit the Rebels 8-5 on the afternoon.
Ole Miss was named as one of 16 host sites for the NCAA Baseball Regionals, which will begin next Friday. The entire 64-team field will be announced Monday at 10:30 a.m., on ESPN. This is the second straight year the Rebels have been selected as a regional host, as Ole Miss hosted its first-ever regional last season.
Mississippi State 4, Ole Miss 1 (May 29, 2005 at Hoover, Ala.)----------------------------------------------------------------------Ole Miss............000 000 100 - 1 5 0 (44-18)Mississippi State...003 010 00X - 4 9 0 (40-20)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: Ole Miss - M. Holliman; J. Hancock(4); Stephen Head(6). Mississippi State - Dunn;Cleveland(7).Win-Dunn(6-2) Save-Cleveland(4) Loss-M. Holliman(7-4) T-2:22 A-12290HR MSU - Butts (2).Game notes:2005 SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEGame: UM0529
