Opening Day is a success for the Bulldogs
Mississippi State may have had to grind a little more than it wanted to Opening Day, but in the end the Bulldogs left the field a winner, grabbing a 9-6 win over Wright State to start the 2020 campaign off on the right foot. State fell behind 5-3 in the fifth, but rallied for six runs in the sixth to grab a lead they would not relinquish. State was led by Rowdey Jordan and Justin Foscue in that frame, who drove in five runs between them in that pivotal inning.
BOTTOMS UP
Hatcher misses a homer by inches, hits the top of the wall for a one out double. He's on for James.
— Brian Hadad (@brianhadad) February 14, 2020
It was Mississippi State’s top half of the order that drew all the preseason hype, but the Bulldogs got a lot of production from 7-8-9 on Friday afternoon, which set the table for those All-SEC hitters to open the game. Josh Hatcher, Kamren James, and Landon Jordan were a combined 6-10 with two BB and five runs scored. Obviously it’s just game one, but if State gets consistency from those guys, then this lineup will be incredibly difficult to deal with for opposing pitchers.
START OVER A-GINN
JT Ginn not exactly having the crispest of outings. He's at 58 pitches now through 3 IP. Balked in a run in the 3rd and gave up a game-tying triple.
MSU 2, Wright State 2 – MID 3
— Joel Coleman (@JoelTColeman) February 14, 2020
It was not the Opening Day that Bulldog super sophomore JT Ginn was hoping for, as he battled through three innings before being pulled for reaching his pre-determined pitch count. Ginn gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, only getting one frame where he set the Raiders down in order. Again, it’s only the first game of the season, and its a day that saw temperatures in the low 40’s, but State will need Ginn to show he can be more effective if the Bulldogs want to have the kind of season they expect.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The #RallyDawgs are back.#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/f3OQVoIOvp
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) February 14, 2020
State will look for the series win tomorrow against Wright State, with redshirt freshman Christain Macleod making his debut on the mound. First pitch is set at Dudy Noble Field for 2 PM.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
