The Mississippi State pitching staff posted yet another solid weekend as the Bulldogs swept the visiting Hawks of Saint Joseph’s, and the No. 3 Diamond Dogs moved to 15-0 on the season.
The MSU staff combined for an outstanding weekend, only giving up three runs to the visiting Hawks through four games, two of which were shutouts.
Head coach John Cohen said his team handled the wintry conditions throughout the series well.
“I thought our bullpen was just magnificent,” Cohen said. “I know some might look at numbers of this Saint Joseph’s club; they’re not a great offensive club, but their kids hung in there and competed.”
The series started with the Bulldogs continuing their hot pitching and hitting combination in the Friday matchup. LHP Jacob Lindgren struck out 13 batters, and reliever John Marc Shelly shut out the Hawks for two innings, and the two pitchers only allowed three hits on the day.
Cohen said his pitching staff met expectations this weekend.
“Our pitching staff has been remarkable,” Cohen said. “Our kids understand their roles.”
Sophomore Jonathan Holder recorded his fifth save on the season, surpassing former MSU and Boston Red Sox great and now Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon for eighth on MSU’s all-time career saves list.
Though it was cold outside with snow flurries mixed in, the Maroon and White’s hitting stayed hot. Shortstop Adam Frazier and first baseman Alex Detz led the barrage from the plate. In Friday’s 10-0 win, Frazier knocked in two runs and Detz added two.
Along with dominant pitching, the hitting of Detz has been a surprising catalyst to the Bulldogs’ success.  Detz first got the start after Wes Rea’s quad injury kept him on the bench, and since then, Detz has been garnering attention nationwide.
He hit an unprecedented 11-18 in six games with a team-leading nine RBIs while having an on base percentage of .668. The junior from California has also been phenomenal defensively in his starts at first, assisting in 14 double plays on the year.
Rea said Detz has played solid filling in at first.
“He’s (Detz) doing a great job, doing everything you could ask him to do while I’ve been out,” Rea said. “He’s been working hard.”
Detz was not the only Bulldog continuing his hot hitting over the weekend.  Frazier and Hunter Renfroe extended their hit streaks to nine games, while C.T. Bradford extended his streak to 10 games. Sunday’s 2-0 win halted their hitting streaks, however.
After the 10-0 win Friday, the Bulldogs have now scored double-digit runs in four games after only posting five of those games the entire year last year.
The Bulldogs look to extend their win streak to 16 games when the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State travel to Dudy Noble Tuesday night at 6:30.