The Bulldog Box Score: Skinner shines, MacLeod deals in win over LSU

It's a long-held baseball adage that good pitching beats good hitting. The events in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday night have given the old saying even more credence.

Behind the left arm of Christian MacLeod, No. 3 Mississippi State shut down the potent bats of No. 19 LSU and Brayland Skinner led the Bulldogs offensively as MSU came away with a 6-1 win in both schools' first Southeastern Conference game of the year.

The tone for the night was set by MacLeod. MSU's ace tossed six splendid innings against one of college baseball's premier lineups, giving up just three hits and one run while striking out nine. The lone blemish against MacLeod came in the sixth inning.

With State already up 2-0, LSU's Cade Doughty hit a seemingly harmless two-out pop up that should've probably been caught. Instead, it fell in short right field between State second baseman Scotty Dubrule and right fielder Tanner Allen. The following LSU batter, Gavin Dugas, then ripped a double to right field and Doughty came all the way around to score and cut MSU's lead to 2-1.

One run was of course far from enough for the Tigers though. For one, State's arms were too stingy. MacLeod was followed to the mound by Brandon Smith who tossed the final three innings, not allowing a run, to record the save for MSU.

But aside from that, the Bulldog bats did plenty. Leading that charge was Skinner. The speedy outfielder, who has been working his way back from a broken hand, was finally healthy enough to make his first start of the year. All Skinner did to celebrate was hit a no-doubt, two-run home run deep over the right-field wall in the fifth inning to put State up 2-0, then drive a run-scoring single up the middle in the seventh to give MSU a 3-1 lead. Skinner also had an infield single earlier in the game and finished the contest 3-for-3. He also reached a fourth time when he was hit by a pitch.

With Skinner and the MSU pitching shining, other Bulldogs put the game away with a three-run eighth inning. Logan Tanner delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded and Lane Forsythe drove in a run with an infield single later in the frame.

In the end, the Bulldogs enjoyed a somewhat comfortable five-run victory. But the biggest number was one, as in 1-0 in SEC play. State will try to make that 2-0 when MSU goes for the series win over LSU on Saturday at 6:30 p.m central.

(IF YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR FULL AUDIO OF MSU HEAD COACH CHRIS LEMONIS' POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE, YOU CAN FIND THAT BY CLICKING HERE.)

Now, here's a look at the numbers for the night as well as the Cowbell Corner Game MVPs and the Moment of the Game.

Mississippi State at LSU box score

Offensive MVP: LF Brayland Skinner

On this night, there could be no one else. Skinner was fantastic and, playing a position (left field) that has been a bit of a musical-chairs type of deal for MSU so far this season, could he have possibly taken the first step towards locking that spot down on a full-time basis? That remains to be seen, but 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI and reaching base on all four trips to the plate sure leaves an impression.

"He’s a really good player," Lemonis said of Skinner after the game. "A lot of our fans probably don’t know about him because he gets hurt before the season starts. He was probably going to be a starter. He has plus speed and he has a really good swing in there. And he’s a good defender. I’ve probably been too cautious with him coming back from that hamate bone (hand injury), just to make sure he has enough strength. He’s probably been ready. I was really happy for him (on Friday)."

To hear from Skinner, here is audio of his full postgame press conference:

Pitching MVP: SP Christian MacLeod

Remember a couple of weeks ago when everyone seemingly had concerns about Christian MacLeod following a couple of not-so-stellar outings? Well all those worries have been put to bed.

After five shutout innings a week ago, MacLeod was brilliant on Friday. Six innings. Only three hits. One run that arguably shouldn't have scored anyway. Nine strikeouts. Yeah, C-Mac is back.

He did have a bit of a rocky first inning when a couple of walks and an error of his own doing loaded the bases. But MacLeod pitched around that mess and was strong the rest of the way.

"It was really nice," Lemonis said of MacLeod's outing. "He settled in after that first inning. He mixed and pitched all day long. It was one of his best performances all year long after the first inning."

To hear from MacLeod, full audio of his postgame press conference can be found with the video/audio at the top of this page.

Moment of the Game: Skinner's shot

It was a scoreless game in the fifth inning when Skinner came to the plate immediately following a leadoff double by Josh Hatcher. It was a situation where, typically, the strategy is just to hit a ball to the right side and at the very least, advance the baserunner to third. Well, Skinner certainly did that and put a cherry on top too.

Skinner swung, connected and drove a baseball deep into the Baton Rouge night. It was evident from the moment ball hit bat that Skinner's speed wasn't needed. He could trot. The two-run shot put MSU up 2-0 and the Bulldogs led the rest of the way.

"He’s a really good hitter," Lemonis said of Skinner. "He’s got power too. He’s got power to all fields. It was good to see him get a nice swing off. It shocked the whole dugout, but it let us take a deep breath and we kind of took the game from that point on."

(NOTE: ALL QUOTES AND AUDIO USED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE COURTESY OF BEN PORTNOY OF THE DISPATCH. YOU CAN FIND PORTNOY'S GAME COVERAGE FROM ONSITE IN BATON ROUGE BY CLICKING HERE)

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