Diamond Dawgs fight back to earn 10-2 series win over Georgia Southern
Mississippi State baseball had no choice but to fight and win on Sunday afternoon.
The Diamond Dawgs had lost four of the last six games and were in danger of dropping the series to Georgia Southern. By the fifth inning, things weren’t trending well to avoid that.
Bryce Chance changed the MSU fortunes in the fifth frame. Avoiding more missed opportunities with situational hitting, Chance came through with a double in the gap that cleared the loaded bases and gave State a lead it wouldn’t lose in a 10-2 win.
“I just feel like we got air back in the building,” head coach Chris Lemonis said. “We’ve been standing up there hoping for a hit instead of making it happen. That swing let everybody relax and the next thing you know, everybody is hitting.”
Mershon gives lineup a lift
For a second-straight week, the Diamond Dawg offense came alive for its best offensive game of the weekend as they clinched the series.
Back in the lineup this weekend after missing the first few games with injury, David Mershon was a consistent problem for Georgia Southern. The sophomore infielder from South Carolina was 4-for-5 in the game with two RBI and a double.
Though Mershon is still working to get back in the field, he is feeling himself again at the plate.
“It feels good to be back out, obviously. I’ve worked really hard for it all year,” Mershon said. “You can’t really do anything when the little bumps come along the way. Just getting through it and helping the guys win the game. That’s what we’re focused on.”
State (4-4) had 15 hits in the ball game with Amani Larry joining Mershon with multiple hits as he was 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, stolen base and two runs. Connor Hujsak was 2-for-2 with three RBI and Hunter Hines was 2-for-5.
Chance had just one hit, but his was the biggest of the day. State had left runners on base in each of the first four innings and had the bases juiced with no outs in the fifth. After a strikeout from Hines, Chance deposited the first pitch he saw in the gap in left field and cleared the bases for three runs.
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MSU added a run in the sixth, blew the game open in the seventh with five more runs and added the 10th run of the game in the eight to end it.
Unlike Saturday, MSU pitched it well in game three of the series. Starter Jurrangelo Cijntje (1-0) earned his first win to start the yearand was sharp through 5.0 innings. Cijntje ran into trouble in 32-pitch first inning as he walked a guy with two outs and gave up an RBI single to fall behind 1-0, but the sophomore gave up just that one hit with two walks, two hit batters and seven strikeouts.
Brooks Auger earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief, striking out a batter and walking one. Cam Schuelke threw 2.0 innings, gave up four hits and two walks but he limited the damage to just a run. Tyler Davis threw a scoreless 9th inning with a hit, walk and strikeout.
Up Next
State was searching for a series sweep in this one but the Bulldogs had to settle for the series win after a disappointing loss on Saturday. With four non-conference losses already on the record books, State has to start collecting wins to keep its head above water for SEC play.
Sunday was a good start with a Tuesday game against Jackson State next up at 3 p.m. this week.
“Good weekend, you take two out of three. They beat us yesterday. They came out and beat us from the first pitch and I thought our guys responded today,” Lemonis said. “We played two really good games. Probably two of our best games of the year this year have been Friday and Sunday. We’re getting better – we have to.”
