The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs swept through the NBC Classic to up their record to 6-0. The Dawgs defeated Austin Peay on Friday before beating Kansas on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday
The 17th ranked, undefeated Bulldogs survived a scare Friday afternoon, as they rallied with two outs in the ninth inning to overcome a one-run deficit and defeat the Austin Peay Governors on the opening day of the National Bank of Commerce Classic.
Down to his final strike in what could have been the last out of the game, freshman Michael Rutledge hit a lazy fly ball to left field for seemingly the final out of the game. However, the APSU left fielder lost the ball in the sun and allowed it to drop for a double.
Rutledge then scored on a Jeff Butts single one batter later, knotting the game at three.
After Butts stole second, an Ed Easley infield single combined with a throwing error on the second baseman sent Butts across home plate and the victorious Bulldogs to the clubhouse.
“I hate to win a game like that,” MSU head coach Ron Polk said. “Both kids pitched their hearts out. It came down to errors. They made two and we made all the plays. That was the difference in this game.”
The dramatic finish spoiled a potential complete game for Governors pitcher Rowdy Hardy. He recorded all but the final out of the game and struck out six before eventually taking the loss.
“He really had some nasty stuff out there,” Polk said. “He is the type of pitcher we will face every Friday night and some Saturdays in the Southeastern Conference. He had great command of his pitches.”
Rutledge, who had a .500 day at the plate with two doubles, paced Mississippi State at the plate. Butts led the team with two RBI’s.
Saturday
Coming off of the thrill of Friday night’s win, most teams might have come out flat against a 12-5 Kansas team. Saturday the Mississippi State Bulldogs did the exact opposite, scoring four runs in the opening frame, and riding that lead to a 5-0 shutout victory.
Freshman Bunkey Kateon led the maroon and white attack at the plate, pounding three hits in as many at-bats and also stealing a base.
Todd Doolittle pitched six hitless innings to hold the Jayhawk offense at bay before allowing a trio of Bulldog relievers to close out the final three innings. Doolittle struck out seven and walked only two in his first outing of the young campaign.
“The pitching was really great today,” MSU coach Ron Polk said. “There were not a lot of hard-hit balls. Fortunately, we had a big first inning.”
Sunday
In the final game of the NBC Classic, the MSU offense came out firing once again, scoring three runs in the opening frame before their eventual 9-2 victory over the Jayhawks.
Thomas Berkery highlighted a 2-2, five RBI day with a home run in the bottom of the third.
The three-run shot was not only his first of the season, but also the first for any Bulldog this year.
“I really didn’t think I would be the first (to hit a home run),” Berkery said. “We had a good weekend. The pitching was solid and the defense played well. We really did a good job with timely hitting.”
The win improves the Bulldogs’ record to 6-0, with two mid-week games on the horizon against Louisiana Tech and Jackson State. The team will look to push their winning streak to eight before this weekend’s trip to Arizona.
“We like the start that we are having,” MSU starting pitcher Josh Johnson said. “Baseball is all about confidence. We have been able to build some of that with a strong start.”