The Diamond Dawgs swept the then-No. 21 Auburn Tigers in the first SEC action of the year at Dudy Noble Field. State moved to 18-6 overall and 4-2 in league play.
In the opening game of the series, the Bulldogs kept fans on their toes throughout the game and won in thrilling fashion. A walk-off single by Cody Freeman gave the Dawgs their second straight win over a ranked SEC opponent. The Tigers fought back after being down 0-4 early but saw a 5-4 lead vanish the next inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Bulldogs found themselves with the bases loaded and two outs before seniors Jaron Shepherd and Nick Vickerson each knocked back-to-back two-RBI hits. These early runs were key for the Bulldogs as the pitching struggled in the next few innings.
State retook the lead on a two-out, two-run homer by Wes Thigpen in the first inning. This blast was a sign of things to come for Thigpen, who was hot at the plate the rest of the weekend.
After a lead-off home run by Auburn’s Justin Fradejas in the seventh, the game was knotted at seven when Freeman came to the plate with two out in the ninth. A double by Freeman allowed the Dawgs to walk off with the win. Freeman said his excitement was unexplainable after hitting the game winner.
“It was awesome,” Freeman said. “When I looked up, I lost the center fielder, and I thought, ‘Oh goodness, he’s going to catch it.’ Then when it hit the ground, I just threw my hands up in the air.”
State scored all seven runs with two outs in three different innings, and Chad Girodo pitched 1.2 innings of hitless ball to move to 2-0 for the year.
A 15-8 win over the Tigers in Saturday’s game clinched the series for the Dawgs. The bats were unstoppable for State as it cranked out a season-high 21 hits. The Dawgs plated 13 runs in the first two innings, giving the pitching staff plenty of breathing room.
Sophomore Chis Stratton had more than enough run support as he allowed only five hits and four runs (three earned) through 7.1 innings. Evan Mitchell and Caleb Reed also put in solid performances on the mound.
In the bottom of the first, Freeman again came through with a two-run hit, and after loading the bases, State compiled five consecutive hits. RBIs by Jonathan Ogden, Adam Frazier, Vickerson and Ryan Collins gave State the early lead. Six of the eight first inning runs were scored with two outs.
In the second inning, State tacked on five more two-out runs. Frazier, Collins and Jarrod Parks picked up the RBIs in the inning.
State’s scoring ceased until the fifth inning, when Ogden blasted his team-leading fourth home run of the season, giving him a career high five RBIs for the game. Ogden credited State’s win in game two to the performance in game one.
“The confidence carried over from yesterday,” Ogden said. “When you win a Friday night game in this league, it can set the tone for the entire weekend. We came to the ballpark ready to play today.”
The Bulldogs finished off an outstanding weekend with a 5-0 win over Auburn Sunday afternoon. Nick Routt gave up two hits over 3.2 innings of work, and freshman Daryl Norris allowed only two hits, finishing the next 5.1 innings and giving MSU its first shutout since 2008 and its first SEC sweep since 2007.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when State posted a four spot on the scoreboard. Thigpen started the scoring with an RBI single. Then with two outs and the bases loaded, Parks, who had struck out his first two at bats, came through with a clutch two-run single followed by a RBI single by Freeman to give the Dawgs the lead. State added an insurance run in the sixth and cruised to victory.
The weekend was filled with solid performances by several Bulldogs, but Thigpen’s key hits stood out particularly. Coach John Cohen said Thigpen’s aggressive approach aided him at the plate.
“He’s a mentally tough kid, and he’s really found himself,” Cohen said. “He’s such a great leader on our club that he’s like having another coach on our coaching staff. He is such a special young man.”
State was picked to finish last in the SEC West, but after this weekend, MSU is in sole possession of second place. Thigpen said this year’s team is very close and is all about having fun out there on the field.
“People don’t respect us like they should, but that’s fine,” Thigpen said. “We know we’re a great club, and we’re going to keep playing like we’re a great club.”