It was a rare top 20 midweek matchup at Dudy Noble Field, with #18 East Carolina making the trip to Starkville. In the end, Mississippi State overcame 4 errors and an interesting ninth inning to take a 4-1 victory over the Pirates, State’s seventh win in a row. The Bulldogs went the Johnny Wholestaff plan on Tuesday, with six pitchers getting at least an inning on the mound. Peyton Plumlee got his second win of the year, and Cole Gordon continued his impressive scoreless innings streak, now 22.2 IP, in getting his fourth save of the campaign.
TIMELY HITTING
Mac, Mac again.#HailState🐶 | @Elijahm_2 pic.twitter.com/kLdOsq0m3A
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) March 5, 2019
State was only able to scratch out six hits on the day, but the Bulldogs found a knack for making the right hit at the right time, including that RBI single you see above by Elijah MacNamee that tacked on the final insurance run of the game. State has been good but not great offensively this season, but they are clearly doing just enough in the early going to keep the wins coming in.
STONE COLE-D
End 8 | Cole Gordon takes the mound for the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead.#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/xN2VldSFYX
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) March 6, 2019
We keep discussing Cole Gordon and his incredible turnaround, but now, it might be time to discussing how he could find his way into some record books. Gordon had to endure a wacky ninth inning, that saw him strike out four batters and commit two errors on the same play, but in the end, the result remained nobody crossed the plate with Gordon on the mound. State’s bullpen has been so good in the season’s opening weeks, with guys like Trystan Barlow and Colby White being incredibly effective, but Gordon is the undisputed star in relief.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Time Change For Wednesday's #uapbbaseball Game At #10 Miss. State https://t.co/AOetWWjb8G
— GoldenLionsAthletics (@UAPBLionsRoar) March 4, 2019
Arkansas-Pine Bluff will head to Starkville for a 3 PM first pitch on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs rescheduled both midweek games to avoid the bitter cold temperatures engulfing the state this week. State will put true freshman Eric Cerantola on the mound for his second midweek start of the season.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
