Mississippi State drops both midweek games to Austin Peay
Lemonis: “We’re playing soft right now.”
The Mississippi State Bulldogs dropped another non-conference game against Austin Peay – the team’s second in as many games – on Wednesday night in dismal fashion via a final score of 13-10.
The Bulldogs fell to 2-3 on the young season after only registering six hits on the night against the Governors, a member of the ASUN. The Bulldogs combined for only 10 hits over the course of the two games against the Governors.
“I’m still disappointed (in our hitting),” said head coach Chris Lemonis. “We have too many opportunities to get big hits, and we’re just not aggressive or we’re over aggressive. In that game, where (Austin Peay) gains momentum is when we leave (runners) on the field. That game could have been blown open early, and we just never took advantage of it.”
Tyson Hardin drew the start and surrendered four runs in 2.2 innings pitched, but the seven given up between Karson Ligon and Cam Schuelke were the nails in the coffin of Mississippi State’s night. In total, Mississippi State surrendered 16 hits on the night.
Head coach Chris Lemonis said after the game that his team’s performance obviously didn’t live up to expectations despite the solid start on both sides of the field.
“We were pretty good in spurts,” said Lemonis. “I thought that Tyson Hardin started good, then he comes out in the third and just can’t find it. Colby Holcombe was okay, Tyler Davis was okay, Gavin Black was good, and then we give up the seven in the eight and the ninth…I probably stretched Schuelke too long, because he had to throw two last night…(Austin Peay) is a good team. They’re playing a lot better than us right now.”
Amani Larry provided an early offensive spark with a home run to lead off the game, but he remained the lone spark throughout the night, as 14 walks from the Governors led to most of Mississippi State’s run production.
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Lemonis was open about the fact that tonight was more emotional than last night’s loss after the game.
“Really, we’re just playing soft right now. Say pressing, say whatever, and that’s the responsibility of the coach. We’re not playing tough, we’re playing selfish. We can look back on this and say ‘hey man, we had a little stumble early, but we figured it out and we got tougher through it’ or we can just continue to play that way.”
Lemonis also said that he made sure his team got the message he was trying to send in the locker room postgame.
“Well, I was really calm with them last night, but I just chewed their ass tonight,” said Lemonis, “because I just thought that we were up 10-5, 10-6, it gets to be a little selfish, it gets to be a little ‘about me,’ and we waste some at bats.”
The Diamond Dawgs will be back in action against Georgia Southern for a three game series this weekend at Dudy Noble Field.
