Mississippi State University takes game one of their top 15 matchup against Auburn University
with the strong pitching performance from starting pitcher Konnor Pilkington.
The No. 13 ranked Bulldogs (30-14, 14-5 SEC) beat the No. 9 ranked Tigers (30-14, 12-7 SEC) by a
score of 5-2. The win strengthens MSU’s grip on first place in the SEC. The other teams in contention are
Auburn, who lost to MSU tonight, and Kentucky, who beat South Carolina by a score of 19-1 to improve
to a 13-6 SEC record.
Shortstop Ryan Gridley said confidence is high going into the end of the regular season.
“No one expected us to do anything,” Gridley said. “People thought we were going to be last
place in the SEC, let’s be honest. To be in first place right now is a privilege and we just want to keep it
going.”
Konnor Pilkington, who is from Hurley, Mississippi, threw seven complete innings for the fifth
time in this season. The sophomore’s pitch count was the second highest it has been all season, reaching
122 total pitches, with 77 of those being strikes.
The most pitches he has ever thrown in a game was 125 against Arkansas, which was also the
last time Pilkington went seven complete innings. Tonight he faced 30 batters, striking out four, giving
up four hits and two runs (one earned), and issuing three walks. Pilkington got the win on the night, and
he now has a 5-3 record on the season.
After the game Pilkington talked about his mentality going into the seventh inning having
already thrown over 100 pitches.
“Just go in there with confidence,” Pilkington said. “You know, I was up in the pitch count. My
body started fatiguing a little bit, and I just go in there and locate my pitches and go from there.”
MSU got solid relief pitching from Peyton Plumlee and Riley Self. Both players combined to
throw two scoreless inning, with each pitching one inning. Plumlee, a sophomore from Olive Branch,
Mississippi, gave up no hits, no runs and issued no walks in his one inning. He retired the first three
batters he faced.
Self, a freshman from Coldwater, Mississippi, earned the save after throwing a scoreless ninth
inning. Self faced three batters in the ninth inning, he threw one strikeout and issued one walk in 13
pitches thrown.
Shortstop Ryan Gridley was the offensive star of the night. Gridley went 3-4 from the plate and
scored two runs. Gridley, the junior from Milton, Georgia, also hit in one run. Gridley has flown under
the radar as he bats right after first baseman and star Brent Rooker. However, he has consistently been
one of the better offensive players in the last month.
Cannizaro talked about the importance of having Gridley behind Rooker after the game.
“I knew I needed somebody to hit behind Brent Rooker,” Cannizaro said. “Nobody here could
have told you this deep into the year Rooker is going to hit .400 with 17 home runs, but you knew he
was going to have a great year. I knew we needed somebody to hit behind him (Rooker) and he (Gridley)
to the occasion from day one this season, he (Gridley) wins at-bats all the time and I just love sending
him (Gridley) to the plate with runners in scoring position, he gets it done.”
Due to weather, Sunday’s game three has been moved to tomorrow. MSU and Auburn will play
a double header with game two starting at 2 p.m. and game three starting at 7 p.m. Game three will be
broadcasted nationally on the SEC Network.