Strong night on the mound, big hits late lead Mississippi State to Friday win over UGA

With 15-straight Mississippi State hitters retired and the home team clinging to a lead late, a spark was needed.

State had two outs in the eighth inning with a 2-1 lead when David Mershon laid down a bunt and finally gave MSU a base runner again facing Georgia pitching. Two big hits later, MSU turned it into a 6-1 lead that would stand for the final score.

“Just some great at bats,” Lemonis said. “(UGA) had done a really good job. They pitched on the edges all night. We didn’t do much down the middle of the plate and they did a really nice job and kind of held us at bay. You can be offensive really quick. Three or four at bats in a row and you can win a ball game. It’s fun to see.”

Mershon sparks home Bulldogs again

Mershon would spark the rally, but it was a couple of big at bats with two strikes and two outs that would give State the breathing room it needed for the ninth. Hunter Hines delivered the first one as he went to the opposite side with a single to left field to give MSU a 3-1 lead.

Connor Hujsak would put a stamp on the game with his three-run home run to left field right after that one and Dudy Noble Field came alive as State extended.

“It felt really good. In the moment, I probably blacked out a little bit,” Hujsak said. “That’s what we needed. We’ve been one swing away, one pitch away so many games and we finally got it and it feels good.”

MSU got a third-straight strong start from Stephen as the right hander navigated a tough UGA lineup with 6.2 innings of five-hit, one-run ball while walking two batters and striking out seven. The Purdue transfer’s only run surrendered was unearned when he had a passed ball with two outs in the fifth inning before striking out former State third baseman Slate Alford.

In the last three contests against No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 6 Florida and UGA, Stephen has thrown 19.1 innings, surrendered 13 hits, four runs, three earned runs, eight walks and he’s struck out 21 batters.

“I think it’s just sticking to the game plan that we’ve got and rolling with the punches,” Stephen said. “When you’re out there, you’ve got to be a fighter and make your on-field adjustments. Just being able to fill confident and roll with what I’m doing.”

Behind Stephen, State didn’t let up as it did last week on Friday night. Cam Schuelke came in and threw the final 2.1 innings of the game and allowed just one base runner on a walk in the ninth inning while striking out two batters and rolling a double play to end the ball game.

State got a 2-0 lead in the ball game as it started the second with runners at the corners and got one run in on a sacrifice fly from Logan Kohler. Amani Larry got another run in the third inning on a leadoff home run and then the bats went quiet.

The Bulldogs didn’t get a base runner again until Mershon delivered that bunt in the eighth and the pitching staff and defense had to work extra hard to keep the lead. Two occasions increased the blood pressure a bit inside The Dude.

In the fifth inning, Stephen faced his first trouble of the game as he had the bases loaded and two outs with Alford at the plate when the passed ball got by Johnny Long to score the run. It wasn’t until the seventh that things would get hairy again.

Tyler Davis came in with two outs in the inning and facing the top of the order Corey Collins and he walked him to put two on base for the most dangerous hitter in the NCAA in center fielder Charlie Condon. With Schuelke coming to the mound, Condon took a swing on the first pitch and hit a comebacker to Schuelke that was gloved and thrown over to keep the lead where it was.

MSU (20-11, 5-5 SEC) had just six hits in the game but three of them came at the biggest point in the game in that eighth inning. Mershon led the team with a 2-for-4 showing while Hujsak scored two runs and drove in three more on his home run. State struck out 11 times in the game and just walked twice.

Up Next

A series is there for the taking for State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on SEC Network as Jurrangelo Cijntje will try to deliver another quality start for MSU. Getting win number one on the weekend was a big one for State after dropping two heartbreakers last week and a midweek game on Tuesday against Central Arkansas.

Lemonis likes the fight of this team when adversity hits and Friday was another example of it.

“It’s a lot chemistry. We’re growing,” Lemonis said. “We’re about at the halfway point and how much better can we get? Look at all the adversity that we’ve had to go through at this point and they still come out and play hard and love each other. It’s a tight, tight group.”