Recap - Mississippi State, Holy Cross Doubleheader 2/22/14

After a Wednesday night loss to Memphis, Mississippi State needed something to feed off of, and they could do that in a four game series against Holy Cross. MSU won game one of the series 6-2, and was headed to a doubleheader on Saturday.

MSU's starting pitcher for game one was Trevor Fitts. He got into a jam in the first inning, giving up a double and a single to put runners on the corners with two outs, before Connor Perry struck out to end the top of the 1st.

MSU got on the board in the first inning, with Jake Vickerson and Alex Detz walking, Wes Rea getting hit by a pitch, and after Brett Pirtle flew out into a double play, Jacob Robson reached on an error, scoring Vickerson. Demarcus Henderson flew out to end the inning with a 1-0 MSU lead.

The 2nd inning showcased more Bulldog dominance. Once again, Trevor Fitts got out of a jam when the bases were loaded with 2 outs, and Andrew Barry grounded out to give the Bulldogs the bats again. Gavin Collins led off with a walk, followed by a Matthew Britton single, and Jake Vickerson lays down the sac bunt to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with Alex Detz up to the plate. Detz flew out, but Collins tagged up and scored, giving the Bulldogs the 2-0 lead, two outs, man on second with Wes Rea coming up to bat. Wes Rea, who was not hot with the bats in the first five games, blasted a two run homer giving MSU the 4-0 advantage. Brett Pirtle would fly out, ending the inning.

The 3rd inning put more runs on the board, but for the other side. Evan Ocello led off with a single, and much like Wes Rea, Brandon Cipolla hit one out of the park, cutting the Bulldog lead to two runs. Connor Perry would strikeout, Jack St. Clair would get a single, but would be out at second after a Shane Sandovol fly out.

No runs were scored for either team until the 6th inning when the Crusaders put another run on the board. Connor Perry led off and reached on an error, and after two groundouts, Anthony Critelli doubled, scoring Perry. Bobby Indeglia then grounded out, ending the inning with a 4-3 MSU lead.

The bats got hot for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the 7th. Brett Pirtle grounded out and Jacob Robson struck out to begin the inning, but Daniel Garner singled to put a runner on the bases. Demarcus Henderson then doubled, followed by a double by Gavin Collins, which drove in Garner and Henderson. Matthew Britton grounded out, ending the inning with a 3 run MSU lead.

Holy Cross didn't score in the 8th, but the Bulldogs scored once again. Jake Vickerson led off with a fly out, and Alex Detz walked putting a man on first with one out. Wes Rea then stepped on the plate and blasted yet another two run homer to give MSU the 5 run advantage. Pirtle singled, but Robson grounded out into a double play, ending the inning with an 8-3 Bulldog lead.

Wes Rea hit two home runs in Mississippi State's 8-4 doubleheader victory over Holy Cross.

Holy Cross led off the 9th inning with a walk by Bobby Indeglia, but Nick Lovullo flew out, and Andrew Barry struck out, giving Holy Cross two outs with Evan Ocello up to bat. Ocello singles, and Brandon Cipolla singled, driving in Indeglia, cutting the Bulldog lead to 4. Connor Perry then grounded out, giving MSU the 8-4 victory.

40 minutes later, both teams stepped back onto Dudy Noble Field for game two of the doubleheader.

MSU's starting pitcher was Austin Sexton, and he dug himself a hole early. Nick Lovullo reached on an error, Andrew Barry got a single (Lovullo was out at second), Evan Ocello walked, and Brandon Cipolla walked. Jack St. Clair then grounded out, but it brought in Barry to give Holy Cross the early 1-0 lead. Bobby Indeglia then was hit by a pitch and Anthony Critelli scored two with a single. Bill Schlich grounded out to end the top of the 1st with a 3-0 Crusader lead.

MSU also got on the board in the 1st inning. Jake Vickerson walked, CT Bradford flew out, advancing Vickerson to second, and Wes Rea hit an RBI single to put the Bulldogs on the board. Brett Pirtle was hit by a pitch and Daniel Garner flew out, but Demarcus Henderson hits an RBI single, driving in Rea, and cutting the Crusader lead to 1 run. Cody Walker flew out after Reid Humphreys walked, ending the inning with a 3-2 Holy Cross lead.

The Bulldogs scored again in the 2nd, when CT Bradford grounded out, driving in Matthew Britton who singled, tying the game at 3.

The runs continued to pour in in the 3rd inning, this time for Holy Cross. Cipolla doubled, and Indeglia singled, but reached 3rd on an error, and Holy Cross took the 4-3 lead. Anthony Critelli then doubled and drove in Indeglia. Schlich grounded out, and Voitik struck out to end the inning with a 5-3 Crusader lead.

More runs came in during the 4th for the Bulldogs. Matthew Britton walked, and Jake Vickerson singled, bringing up Wes Rea, who hit two home runs in game one of the doubleheader. For the third time in two games, Wes Rea hit a home run, this time three runs scored, giving MSU the 6-5 lead. Brett Pirtle and Daniel Garner grounded out, ending the inning.

No runs scored until the top of the 8th. MSU was trying to retain the one run lead they had, but failed. Indeglia grounded out, but Critelli singled. Schlich walked, and pinch hitter Connor Perry struck out. Nick Lovullo, who was hitless up to that at bat, then drove in Critelli with a single, and Andrew Barry also singled, driving in Schlich. Evan Ocello flew out, ending the inning with a 7-6 Crusader lead.

MSU didn't score in the bottom of the 8th, neither did Holy Cross in the top of the 9th. The Bulldogs were coming up to bat, needing at least one to continue the game.

Alex Detz grounded out, and Demarcus Henderson walked. Cody Brown singled, but Henderson, trying to run an extra base, was tagged out at 3rd. Jacob Robson then hit a high fly ball into foul territory, which was caught for the final out, giving Holy Cross the 7-6 victory.

Both teams play again Sunday on HailStateTV.

MSU Drops 3 Spots to #7 in the Nation

In the NCBWA's latest college baseball poll, Mississippi State dropped three spots to number 7 in the nation.

The bulldogs started number 4 in the nation after the magical 2013 CWS run, but an opening day loss to Western Carolina brought them down, but they fought back to win the last two games in the series by a combined 13-3.

The top 10 is (SEC teams in bold):
1. Oregon State (3-0)
2. Cal State Fullerton (2-1)
3. Florida State (3-0)
4. Virginia (2-1)
5. LSU (3-0)
6. Vanderbilt (3-0)
7. Mississippi State (2-1)
8. Oregon
9. South Carolina (3-0)
10. UCLA (2-1)

MSU will look to continue their winning ways Wednesday vs Memphis at 6:30 PM on HailStateTV.

Recap - #4 Mississippi State 7, Western Carolina 2, 2/16/14

Coming off of a big win over Western Carolina Saturday, the Diamond Dogs of Mississippi State were looking for an opening series win over the Catamounts. The weather was nice and sunny, a 1:30 PM start, and we were ready to play ball!

Mississippi State was starting true freshman Dakota Hudson at pitcher, who was a key part of MSU's number 2 recruiting class. For the first start of his career, Hudson had a good day. His first two batters struck out, and his fourth batter flew out, ending the first inning.

Like yesterday's game, both teams started off slow, but Mississippi State found their touch in the third inning. Demarcus Henderson led off the inning with a double, and Matthew Britton followed with a walk. After two pop outs by Zach Randolph and Cody Brown, Alex Detz walked to load the bases. Big man Wes Rea stepped up to the plate next, and was hit by a pitch, advancing the runners and scoring a run. Brett Pirtle was next up, and got a 3 RBI triple to extend the Bulldog lead to 4 runs (#PirtlePower). CT Bradford was next, and pulled in a squeeze bunt, scoring Pirtle, and Bradford was safe at first. The inning ended with a 5-0 Bulldog lead after a strikeout by Reid Humphreys.

Brett Pirtle hit a 3 RBI triple in the third inning in MSU's 7-2 victory over Western Carolina

Dakota Hudson started to get rusty with the first batter of the fourth inning. Jacob Hoyle stepped up with a full count, and knocked one out of the park for a home run, cutting the Bulldog lead to 4 runs. Dale Urquhart got hit by a pitch, but Demarcus Henderson saved the Bulldogs making an incredible catch at the wall after a hit by Dykota Speiss, and then getting Urquhart out at first. The inning ended after Luke Gragg popped out, and the Bulldogs held a 5-1 advantage.

Nothing major happened, with the exception of some pitching changes by Mississippi State, until the bottom of the eighth inning. CT Bradford was the first man up for the Bulldogs, and was hit by a pitch. Bryan Sammons, the pitcher who got the save in the opening game, replaced Nate Williams at pitcher. Sammons' first two batters, Derrick Armstrong and Demarcus Henderson, both walked, loading the bases for Daniel Garner. Garner would fly out, and the Catamounts were able to get Bradford out at third, as he was too far off the bag after Garner's at bat. But, Zach Randolph was able to knock in a run with a single, scoring Derrick Armstrong. Cody Brown walked to load the bases, and then Alex Detz also walked to score Demarcus Henderson. After another pitching change, and a fly out for Wes Rea, MSU exited the eighth inning with a 7-1 advantage.

Will Cox replaced Austin Sexton in the ninth inning, trying to seal the deal for the Bulldogs. Danny Bermudez flew out, and Adam Martin struck out, leaving only Aaron Attaway for Cox. Attaway doubled, and then Bradley Strong singled, driving in Attaway, and WCU cut MSU's lead to 5. Will Cox was replaced by true freshman Vance Tatum, and he got the job done striking out Cody Jones, giving the Bulldogs the 7-2 victory, winning the opening series, and improving their record to 2-1.

The Diamond Dogs' next opponent is the Memphis Tigers, whom they defeated 12-1 last year, and they play Wednesday the 19th of February at Dudy Noble on HailStateTV.

Recap - #4 Mississippi State 6, Western Carolina 1, 2/15/14

The 2014 season opener was arguably the most hyped season opener in Mississippi State baseball history. Set to play a four game series against Hofstra, Friday through Monday. But, severe weather in the area prevented Hofstra from coming, and the bulldogs needed an opponent. In North Carolina, a certain team's field was not ready for their season opener, and that would be Western Carolina. Mississippi State then scheduled a three game weekend series against Western Carolina, which should be three easy victories for the Bulldogs. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend!" Western Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the Friday season opener, and despite a 9th inning rally, MSU fell short 3-2, losing their first season opener since 2003.

                  Reliever Ross Mitchell threw 7 strikeouts in 8 innings in MSU's 3-2 loss.

Shock fell through the Mississippi State community. Message board users showed their frustration and anger in absolute amazement. But, there were some folks that took a look at it the positive way. The starting pitcher during that Friday game, Jeremy Null, was picked the preseason best pitcher in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina was picked preseason Southern Conference champions. ESPN ranked them in their "teams to watch by June" list. This was not as bad of a loss as people would ultimately think. Everyone then thought that Saturday is a new day.

Mississippi State and Western Carolina were set to play at 4 PM on the 15th of February, 2014. Over 9,000 fans were in attendance with sunny, not too chili conditions, compared to Friday night's cold, rainy weather. It was a new day, a new game, a new beginning.

MSU's starting pitcher was Trevor Fitts, and he had a brilliant day. In the first inning, it only took him five batters to get out of the inning, and had a shutout through four innings. The one thing that eluded the Bulldogs in Friday's game was the bats. Mississippi State was cold offensively, and they made up for the struggles this time around. Both teams started off slow, but runs started to come in during the 4th inning. Brett Pirtle led off with a single, his first hit of the day, and after a CT Bradford strikeout, Cody Brown, who was making his first start as a Diamond Dawg, hit a triple that brought Pirtle home. Derrick Armstrong walked, Matthew Britton struck out, Gavin Collins walked, and Jake Vickerson, younger brother of former MSU player Nick Vickerson, had a 2 RBI single, which extended the Bulldog lead to 3. Alex Detz struck out to end the inning with a 3-0 lead.

The 5th inning is where Trevor Fitts' shutout chances ended. Aaron Attaway flew out, and Bradley Strong struck out, but was able to reach first base after the ball went away from the catcher, thus making the out count remain at one. Cody Jones flew out, but after a stolen base and a wild pitch, Strong advanced to third when Jacob Hoyle came up to the plate. Hoyle walked, but a wild pitch on the fourth ball resulted in a run scored by Bradley Strong. Adam Martin would strike out, and the Bulldogs would take over the bats, up 3-1.

Little offensive production for Western Carolina and many stranded runners for Mississippi State led to no runs for the next 3 innings. Trevor Fitts was replaced by Jacob Lindgren in the 7th inning. Lindgren didn't have a long stay on the mound, as he was replaced after two walks and a strike out. Memphis native Preston Brown came in after that, and lifted the Bulldogs out of the jam in the top of the 7th.

Mississippi State got hold of the bats in the bottom of the 8th up 3-1, and hoping to give all-American closer Jonathan Holder some extra breathing room with some more runs. The Bulldogs got just that. After an opening strikeout by Matthew Britton, Zach Randolph came in as a pinch hitter and got his first ever hit as a Bulldog with a single. Demarcus Henderson pinch hit, and was hit by a pitch to have runners on first and second. Alex Detz stepped up to the plate and got a single, loading the bases for first baseman Wes Rea. Before Rea could bat, though, Colton Davis replaced Alex Barr as pitcher for WCU. Wes Rea would hit a single, driving in Randolph and Henderson, and advancing Detz to second. Right after Wes, Brett Pirtle stepped up, and got a single, once again, loading up the bases for CT Bradford. Before Bradford could hit, though, John McClure replaced Colton Davis as pitcher for WCU. Bradford would walk, and Detz would score from 3rd, MSU taking a five run lead, bases loaded, one out, with Cody Brown stepping up to the plate. But, before Brown could hit, Taylor Durand replaced John McClure as pitcher for WCU. Durand would finish off the inning by striking out Brown and pinch hitter Daniel Garner, and MSU had a 6-1 advantage heading to the ninth.

Jonathan Holder had one pitch in the top of the 8th inning, and that was a strike to end the inning with a strikeout. Now, he has to pitch his first full inning of the 2014 campaign. Bradley Strong came up first... and grounded out. Next, Cody Jones had a shot at Holder... he grounded out. One person remained to try to get past Holder and save WCU for another batter, and that was Jacob Hoyle... he struck out. 1-2-3 to end the game for Jonathan Holder and Mississippi State. Final score - Fourth ranked Mississippi State 6, Western Carolina 1.

                   Trevor Fitts threw a career high 11 strikeouts in the 6-1 victory.

Mississippi State and Western Carolina will play in the rubber game in the series at 1:30 PM Sunday on HailStateTV.                                                     

                                            

Welcome to The Dude Abides

Hello, Bulldog faithful and welcome to my new blog, The Dude Abides! 

This blog is about Mississippi State baseball. There will be nonstop coverage of MSU baseball, game recaps, recruiting, how MLB Dawgs are doing, anything about Bulldog baseball!

I hope you stay tuned for more posts from me. Thanks!