The Bulldog offense proved its ability to swing the bat with consistency this week, putting up 21 runs in the team’s two midweek wins over UL-Monroe and Samford.
Tuesday
Launching the ball over the highest part of the fence in the deepest part of the ballpark, Brad Jones knocked in the team’s 12th home run of the season Tuesday night in a 9-3 win over UL-Monroe.
Jones drove in four of those nine runs on his three-hit outing, lacking only a single to have hit for the cycle. No Mississippi State player has hit for the cycle since Brad Freeman in 1998. Jones had a chance to complete the feat in his final at-bat but struck out instead.
“It’s kind of disappointing that you end with a strikeout,” Jones said, “but all in all, it was a good night.”
Leadoff-man Jeffery Rae logged a three-hit night also highlighted by his third triple of the season while also scoring twice. Joseph Hunter and Ed Easley rounded out a foursome of Bulldogs with multiple hits in the game.
“We really put the ball in play,” MSU coach Ron Polk said. “It’s good to get several players with several at-bats. We are beginning to hit at a critical stretch of the season.”
MSU pitcher John Lalor picked up his third win of the campaign, pitching five strong innings. Lalor allowed only three hits and two runs, though neither run was earned.
Wednesday
The Diamond Dawgs matched a season high in hits Wednesday night, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the sixth on their way to a 13-1 victory over the visiting Bulldogs of Samford.
“Samford is a good enough ball club to beat you,” Polk said. “We were able to expand the lead in the middle of the ballgame and then got some good key hits toward the end.”
Eight of the nine offensive starters for the Bulldogs collected at least one hit, with three players-Brad Corley, Thomas Berkery and Joseph Hunter-notching three-hit plate performances. Berkery led the team in RBI’s with three, while Jones, Hunter, Easley and Michael Rutledge all chipped in two.
“It seems like everyone’s starting to hit the ball,” Hunter said. “Brad Jones is hitting the ball now, LaNinfa is really coming around, Jeff Butts is getting a lot of walks and Corley is hitting the ball hard, too. Basically, we’re just doing a great job of hitting and putting the ball in play.”
Polk went with a pitching-by-committee system for the game, pitching starter Eric Ebers for three innings before pulling him in favor of Josh Johnson.
Johnson struck out five batters in his three innings of work before being replaced by the relief trio of Jesse Carver, Jamie Gant and Justin Pigott, all of whom pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.
“We’ve had three rainout games in the last three weeks, and that has caused some of our pitchers not to get to throw as much,” Polk said. “We count on playing those Tuesday-Wednesday games to get the guys ready for the weekend, so it was good to get to play a lot of people (tonight).”