On another chilly afternoon Tuesday at historic Dudy Noble Field, the Mississippi State Bulldogs used exceptional pitching to defeat the Grambling State Tigers by a score of 2-0.
 
RHP Brandon Woodruff was called on for his first start of the year, and he did not disappoint. He tied his career highs in both innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (8) while giving up only 5 hits. Woodruff said he was pleased with how he performed during the game.
 
“I felt good. I feel like I have a little room for improvement, strengthen up just a little more,” Woodruff said. “But I am getting there, close to 100 percent.”
 
The Bulldogs took the early lead on a two-out single by Demarcus Henderson in the second inning. Then after a few scoreless innings, the Dogs tacked on another run when C.T. Bradford knocked in Daryl Norris with two outs in the 5^th inning.
 
Overall, it wasn’t a very successful day for Bulldog hitters, totaling only five hits on the night. This is mostly due to quality outings from both Brock Baker and Derrick Murray of Grambling State. Henderson spoke about the performance of Tiger starting pitcher Baker.
 
“He wasn’t overpowering,” Henderson said. “It just was something we haven’t seen this year, something we haven’t seen all fall or spring. He was a slow guy, and a lot of us were out in front and not staying back. It was something we needed to see. I would rather see it now then see it later in the season.”
 
The Bulldog pitching staff has shown no signs of early season jitters. The Bulldogs have only allowed three total runs through five games this year, which is an MSU Baseball record. Woodruff said he is especially proud of what the Bulldogs have been able to accomplish.
 
“You can’t say enough about the guys on our pitching staff,” Woodruff said. “Coach Thompson has done a great job with us. He has built us into great pitchers. I can’t say enough about him.”
 
The Bulldogs used a total of six pitchers in the game. Woodruff gained his first win of the season, and closer Jonathan Holder got his second save. Holder came into the 8^th inning with the bases loaded and two outs. After setting up the batter with two fastballs, Holder took a little off the last one to get the strikeout and end the inning.
 
The Tigers went down in order in the 9^th as the Bulldogs moved to 5-0 on the season. Head Coach John Cohen said he would have definitely liked a little more offensive output but was still happy to get the win.
“Runs are at a premium, and I didn’t think we had really good at bats today. I was a little disappointed in that,” Cohen said. “But for the most part, we got hits when we had to. I think this is a good ball game for us in a lot of ways because this is who we are; this is our identity.”
 
The Bulldogs take the field again Friday at 6 p.m. in the Diamond Classic against last year’s Big Ten Champion, the Purdue Boilermakers. Holder said he thinks his team is up to the challenge.
 
“I think we are all mentally and physically ready,” Holder said. “We’re gonna rest up these next couple days, get some practice in and be ready to go for them.”