Midweek success finally found the Diamond Dawgs as they pounded out 28 hits to complete a sweep of the Austin Peay Governors. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first inning and cruised to a 14-3 victory over the Governors.
The seven-run first inning was capped off by a three-run homer from catcher Ryan Duffy, who lofted a 2-0 fastball over right center field.
“It was real nice to score seven runs in the first inning. I wish we could do that more often,” Duffy said. “It takes a lot of weight off the pitching staff’s shoulders, and it feels a lot better to play the rest of the game with a lead.”
Austin Peay right-hander Jake Brisbin took the loss, allowing 10 earned runs on eight hits. Jake Brooks gave up another three runs on six hits in relief. Both pitchers combined for just two strikeouts.
Senior left-hander Andy Wilson earned his second win of the season for the Bulldogs, pitching four shutout innings of relief. Wilson gave up two hits and struck out five while issuing no walks.
“Going into the season, I didn’t think Andy would be able to go but for one or two innings,” MSU head coach Ron Polk said. “All of a sudden, he’s getting some innings because of injuries and because he’s been effective for the most part.”
Junior right-hander Chad Crosswhite and senior lefty Jesse Carver each pitched an inning of scoreless relief to close out the ballgame.
Duffy said he noticed Crosswhite’s improvement over the last few games.
“He’s looking great. I’ve been talking to him about it the last couple of days, and he’s got his stuff back,” Duffy said. “I don’t know what he did, but he’s throwing really well now. Hopefully he just keeps doing what he’s doing, and he’s going to help us win a lot of ball games.”
Bulldogs starter Greg Houston was chased after the Governors mounted a four-run third inning to bring the score to 7-4, but they would come no closer. Houston allowed six hits while striking out one and issuing a lone walk.
Sophomore shortstop Russ Sneed led Mississippi State offensively, going 3-for-4 and knocking in one run while scoring three others.
Duffy’s home run gave him three RBIs for the night, while Tyler Moore, Jet Butler and Conner Powers finished with two each.
Eight of the nine Bulldog starters recorded a hit. Sneed, Moore, Powers and Butler all had multiple hits.
A dull spot of the night for the Bulldogs, however, was the news that catcher Cody Freeman would miss two to four weeks due to a knee injury. Freeman, who leads the Bulldogs with a .397 batting average, injured his knee in an at-bat in Sunday’s game against Georgia.
“We took another bad blow with Cody, but it’s not like he’s out for the year,” Polk said. “We really caught a break with his knee. The patella just came out of place like a dislocated shoulder and went back in. It caused a little pain because it starts to do damage to the tissue around it, but it could have been worse, like a meniscus tear.”
The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits in a 10-2 win over Austin Peay on Wednesday to complete the sweep.
Sophomore Drew Hollinghead grabbed his career win for the Bulldogs, pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits. Hollinghead issued four walks and struck out three.
The Bulldogs relief staff threw another four innings of shutout ball with junior closer Aaron Weatherford striking out the side in the ninth inning.
Weatherford made his first appearance in over a month after being out due to a shoulder injury.
“It was good to have him back,” Polk said of his closer. “I wish we could have had him all year, but it was nice tonight.”
Weatherford said he felt healthy in his first appearance since a March 1 game against Air Force.
“It felt good. I’ve been spending way too much time in the weight room,” Weatherford said. “It feels good to get back out on the field where I’m supposed to be.”
Powers went 4-for-5 at the plate to lead the Bulldogs, knocking in two runs while scoring twice himself.
Freshman leftfielder Ryan Collins recorded his first four-hit and three-RBI game of his career. Collins said he believes the wins will provide momentum heading back into SEC play.
“It gives you a lot more confidence heading into the weekend. Everybody is feeling a lot better, especially the way we played last weekend,” Collins said. “We easily should have taken that series from Georgia.”
After the return of Crosswhite and Weatherford, sophomore second baseman Brandon Turner, who has battled a nagging hamstring injury this season, will be inserted back into the lineup this weekend, more than likely in the designated hitter role.
Polk said with the loss of Freeman, injuries have continued to plague his ballclub this season.
“The whole key in this business with limited scholarships and playing in a tough conference is who has an experienced ballclub and who stays healthy,” Polk said. “There’s luck involved, and we’ve been a very unlucky ballclub this year.”
The Diamond Dawgs will hit the road to take on their next SEC foe, the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Wildcats come into the contest fresh off the heels of a series loss to South Carolina, a team that swept the Bulldogs just two weeks ago.