Mississippi State Picks Up Series Victory Against Northern Kentucky
Mississippi State picked up its first series victory of the season by claiming a 7-2 victory over Northern Kentucky on a cold Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore pitcher Cade Smith pitched five complete innings with seven strikeouts, three hits, one unearned run and a walk. Luke Hancock went 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored, two runs batted in, a double and his first home run of the season. Teammate Brad Cumbest recorded a home run and a double of his own while going 2-for-2 at the plate. True freshman Aaron Downs shined in his first start for the Bulldogs with two RBIs on 2-of-4 hitting.
Smith took his place on the mound to start the first inning and was quick to force a groundout to get things started. He gave up an infield single on a controversial call by the first-base umpire, but he showed his poise with a quick strikeout and flyout. Kamren James got the bats going early for the Bulldogs with a one-out single that skipped down the third-base line. He was thrown out when attempting to steal second base. Hancock was hit by a pitch to take base but couldn't advance as Logan Tanner had a pop-up in foul territory to end the inning.
Smith walked the first batter he faced to begin the second inning of action. Hancock recorded the Bulldogs' first out as he chased down a bunt and tagged the runner out, and Smith ended the inning quickly with a groundout and strikeout. Designated hitter Hunter Hines slapped a ball into right field to get MSU on base quickly and stole second on a low pitch moments later. Matt Corder drove him in after a lengthy at-bat and quickly advanced to third thanks to a double by Cumbest. In his first at-bat in maroon and white, freshman right-fielder Aaron Downs hit an infield single to score two and push the Bulldogs' lead to three. Mississippi State finished the frame with a 3-0 advantage and a handful of hot bats.
Like the first two innings, the third inning passed quickly for the Diamond Dawgs defense. Tanner got his first hit of the day on an outfield single but was close to being stranded on base as the team picked up two quick outs. Once again, Cumbest changed that with a soaring two-run home run to make the game 5-0.
The Norse had a huge hole to crawl out of heading into the fourth inning. Smith recorded another strikeout before giving up an outfield single-- only his second hit of the day. That was all he allowed before forcing a pop-up and tossing his second strikeout of the inning. The Norse brought in pitcher Tyler Murphy to try and stop the bleeding. It seemed to work, until James got a two-out walk for the Bulldogs to become the first baserunner of the inning. On the next at-bat Hancock hit his first home run of the season to add two more runs to Mississippi State's total. Tanner was hit by a pitch to put yet another runner on base, but nothing came of it. The Diamond Dawgs took a commanding 7-0 lead heading into the top half of the fifth inning.
Smith started to show signs of fatigue at the top of the fifth inning. After recording a strikeout to get the first out, he gave up a single. A low pitch a few plays later bounced away from Tanner and gave the runner the chance to advance to second base. On the next play, Hancock's error in fielding the ball put runners at the corners with only one out. A sacrifice fly scored the runner on third but got the crucial second out. Smith finished the inning with an impressive strikeout and helped the Bulldogs escape the top of the frame without giving up more than one run. With the Bulldogs holding on to a six-run lead, Northern Kentucky put in TJ Graves in hopes of getting the Norse through the bottom of the inning. The inning started a bit differently for the Bulldogs, as Brayland Skinner was brought in to pinch-hit for Corder. He flew out, and struggling Kellum Clark struck out looking to pick up the team's second out. Downs continued his impressive showing by recording a second hit on the day, but a groundout by Tanner Leggett ended the inning.
Relief pitcher Brandon Smith was brought in at the start of the sixth inning, and he didn't disappoint. His first out of the day came on a swinging strikeout. He then forced two quick groundouts to bring the offense back onto the field quickly. Hancock smoked a two-out double into right field, but that was the only hit of the inning for the Diamond Dawgs against Northern Kentucky relief pitcher Noah Richardson.
Yeager made up for his offensive woes with an incredible put-out to get things going in the seventh inning. B. Smith recorded his second strikeout of the day before hitting a batter on a low pitch. Instead of getting flustered, he tossed a third strikeout to end the inning. The Norse brought in their fifth pitcher of the day, Zach Haigis, in hopes that he would fare better than his four successors. He managed to force a flyout and groundout before walking Clark. Downs grounded out to end the frame.
Right-handed sophomore pitcher Brooks Auger took to the mound at the start of the eighth inning for Mississippi State. He didn't have the same precision that the Bulldogs' previous pitchers had, but he managed to get the job done. After a long battle at the plate resulted in a flyout to left field, Auger had a four-pitch walk and gave up a single to put two runners on base with one out. Another hit by the Norse allowed one run to score and left another runner on third. Auger regained control at the plate with a strikeout and flyout to escape the inning. Von Seibert saw his first appearance of the game against the sixth Norse pitcher of the afternoon, Tyler Ollier. He struck out, and Yeager grounded out shortly afterward. James picked up a single thanks to his quick feet, but Hancock flew out to end the inning.
Mikey Tepper entered the game at the start of the ninth inning to close things out. A quick flyout started the inning and was followed quickly by a walk. The Norse dugout was given new life until Tepper shut things down with a strikeout. Another walk put runners on first and second. Finally, Skinner tracked down a long fly ball to end the game. The Diamond Dawgs trotted off the field with a winning record, series victory and plenty of momentum heading into a week full of games.
The Bulldogs will take on Grambling at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m. CT.