STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 9-ranked Mississippi State struck early and often Wednesday as the Bulldogs homered their way to a 12-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana at newly renovated Dudy Noble Field/Polk-Dement Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs (8-1) snapped a six-game winning streak by Southeastern (2-6) in the series.
 
Third baseman Justin Foscue blasted a Trey Shaffer (0-1) offering 397 feet to left-center field in the first inning for a grand slam, staking Mississippi State (8-1) to a 4-0 lead.
 
Second baseman Gunner Halter added a solo home run, his first of the season, leading off the second inning.
 
Bulldog starting pitcher Peyton Plumlee (1-0) made easy work of the Southeastern lineup, retiring the first seven batters he faced and did not surrender a hit until Cody Grosse lined a single through the left side leading off the fourth.
 
Mississippi State added a pair of runs to its lead in the bottom half of the inning, chasing Shaffer from the game.
 
Plumlee worked six innings of one-hit ball, exiting after rain halted the game in the bottom of the sixth. The right-hander, who earned the win, walked two and struck out nine.
 
After the nearly one hour delay, Mississippi State added two runs in the sixth and three more in the eighth off the Lion bullpen.
 
Southeastern picked up just a pair of singles in the game, both by senior shortstop Cody Grosse.
 
Shaffer, the Lions' starting pitcher, suffered the loss. The sophomore left-hander surrendered seven runs in 3.1 innings, allowing six hits and three walks. He struck out three.
 
The Lions continue their road trip this weekend, returning to action Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Troy. Game times for the series against the Trojans are 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Both Friday and Sunday's games can be heard in the Hammond area on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps. Fans can also keep up with all the action through live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter.
 
A free video stream of all three games will be provided through the Troy Athletics Facebook account. Web links to audio, video and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The new Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.
 
DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter,  @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.