It’s been a season long problem for Mississippi State, the midweek pitching has constantly put the Bulldogs behind the eight ball in the early innings. Once again however, MSU found a way to overcome the slow start and stay undefeated in those early week games, climbing back from a 7-0 first inning deficit to grab a 10-9 win over Memphis Wednesday night at Dudy Noble Field. State got big nights from Tanner Allen and Elijah MacNamee, who shook off bad weekends at Texas A&M to go 6-9 with 4 RBI. After the tumultuous start, the Bulldog bullpen calmed down for the most part, with Cole Gordon getting the win in relief with two scoreless innings.
MORE MIDWEEK MALADIES
Another walk, and the bases are loaded once again. That will be all for James, a horrific outing for him. New pitcher is Brandon Smith.
— Brian Hadad (@brianhadad) May 8, 2019
Keegan James had possibly the worst outing of his Bulldog career, walking 4, giving up 2 hits, and allowing 6 earned runs to score before getting the early hook. It’s just been a reoccurring issue for the Diamond Dawgs throughout the campaign, maybe the only real problem the Bulldogs have suffered through this season. Luckily for MSU, the bats were able to get going early to put together the comeback.
RETURN OF THE MAC
He gets the big hits!#HailState🐶 | @Elijahm_2 pic.twitter.com/4N2pZjUuJC
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) May 9, 2019
Elijah MacNamee has been slumping, in the middle of a 4 for 35 plunge that had dropped his batting average by 50 points. All it took to get back to his normal self was to be at the plate in a do or die situation, with two runners on and trailing 9-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning. MacNamee delivered as he has done so many times before, with a double to deep center that plated two runs and gave the Bulldogs the final margin. With both he and Allen looking like their normal selves, the Bulldogs really don’t have a weakness in their batting order, which will be huge as they travel to take on Ole Miss and one of the conference’s best offensive teams.
WHAT’S NEXT?
FINAL | REBS WIN!! Ole Miss holds off LSU for its first series win in Baton Rouge since 1982. #RebsBSB #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/9ZtlHKkRlu
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 5, 2019
State heads to Oxford to take on a Rebel squad that is flying high, 5-1 in their last 6 SEC games and coming off their first series win in Baton Rouge since 1982. Weather permitting, we should see some outstanding crowds at Swayze Field, with both teams ranked for the first time since 2016. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Friday, with Ethan Small taking the hill for the Bulldogs.
Photos courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
