The Bulldog Box Score: Shutout streak continues in win over Eastern Michigan

Christian MacLeod doesn't mind admitting it. The Mississippi State ace left-handed pitcher came into Friday night's game against Eastern Michigan with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.

His previous couple of starts had been a struggle. With Southeastern Conference play only a week away, MacLeod needed a bounce-back effort. Well he got it, and in the process, helped MSU keep up a remarkable run from the mound.

MacLeod hurled five dominant, shutout innings and the Bulldog bullpen blanked the Eagles the rest of the way as No. 3 MSU rolled to a 14-0 win at Dudy Noble Field. It marked State's fourth consecutive win and all have been shutouts – the first time MSU has blanked four straight opponents since all the way back in 1909. That's 36 straight zeros put up on the scoreboard by the Bulldogs pitching staff. Five of those zeros are now MacLeod's.

"He was really sharp (Friday)," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said of MacLeod. "As sharp as I’ve seen him in a long time. Nice to see him bounce back. He’s one of the more talented pitchers in the country and I told the team we all face ups and downs as the season goes on. When you bounce back from it, it makes you a better player. I think that’s what we’re seeing from Christian right now. The (velocity) was there. The command was there. I don’t care who we’re playing, when you pitch like that, you’re gonna have success."

MacLeod gave up just one hit and one walk over his five scoreless frames. He struck out 11. When he gave way, State's relievers just kept right on dealing.

Brandon Smith, Riley Self, Parker Stinnett and Spencer Price followed MacLeod to the hill and all pitched an inning. Those four relievers combined for four shutout stanzas with only two hits allowed and they struck out a total of seven.

When a team is pitching like that, it doesn't need much offense, but the Bulldogs gave its arms plenty of support anyway. MSU tallied 14 total hits and 10 different Bulldogs had at least one knock, led by shortstop Lane Forsythe's 3-for-4 evening. State's bats put together three big innings with three-spots in the third and fifth, and a six-run rally in the eighth.

As good as all that was for the Bulldogs, almost undoubtedly the best news of the night for MSU was that its Friday night starter finally looked like he's back to his fantastic form of a year ago.

"I didn't have my best outings to begin the season and last weekend, I was pretty disappointed with how I went out there and it wasn't my best outing," MacLeod said. "But I had a good bullpen this week with (pitching coach Scott Foxhall). We worked on a few things and I was happy with (Friday's) performance."

MSU improved to 11-3 overall with the win. Eastern Michigan fell to 4-3.

(NOTE: YOU CAN WATCH MACLEOD'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. YOU CAN WATCH HEAD COACH CHRIS LEMONIS' POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE.)

Okay, let's take a look at all of Friday's numbers, Cowbell Corner's Game MVPs and the Moment of the Game:

Eastern Michigan at Mississippi State box score

Offensive MVP: SS Lane Forsythe

Lane Forsythe was billed as a defensive specialist prior to the season starting. However he's starting to prove he's much more than just a good glove.

Forsythe's 3-for-4 night on Friday has his batting average all the way up to .538 this season. Since taking over the starting shortstop job last Sunday, he has essentially solidified the role and cemented Kamren James' move over to third base. That move became even more permanent on Friday as Lemonis announced former starting third baseman Landon Jordan has decided to no longer be a part of the MSU baseball team.

Pitching MVP: SP Christian MacLeod

Christian MacLeod's strong start set the tone for MSU's lopsided win. Eastern Michigan appeared to have no chance against the Bulldog southpaw and by the time MacLeod left the game, State already had a 7-0 lead.

Yes, the bullpen came in and was absolutely dominant as this year's MSU bullpen tends to be. But on Friday, MacLeod's return to form was exactly what State's pitching staff needed to see above all else.

Moment of the Game: Self wiggles out of a jam

For much of Friday night, the game itself was well in hand, so perhaps the critical moment of the evening was relief pitcher Riley Self preserving MSU pitching's scoreless streak.

In the seventh inning, Eastern Michigan got to Self for a pair of one-out singles. The Eagles were a base hit away from scoring the first run off an MSU arm since last Saturday.

However Self buckled down. He struck out the next two hitters to put up another zero and ultimately, the shutout streak lived on to see Saturday.

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