The Bulldog Box Score and More: Bats bash way to series-clinching win for MSU
As the summer draws closer, the Bulldog bats are heating up with the weather.
No. 4 Mississippi State had yet another strong offensive showing on Saturday to pave the way for a series-clinching 9-6 win over No. 19 South Carolina. MSU has now scored at least nine runs in its last four games and have scored a total of 38 runs over that span.
State pounded out 14 hits to top the Gamecocks in Saturday's affair. Most of the damage came from the top six spots in the MSU batting order. Rowdey Jordan, Tanner Allen, Luke Hancock, Logan Tanner and Scotty Dubrule combined to go 13-for-20.
Jordan, Allen and Hancock got the party started for MSU. Jordan led off the ballgame with a single, scored a batter later when Allen tripled him in, then Hancock drove a long two-run homer to right to put State up 3-0 in the first inning.
The runs kept coming from there. Jordan reached and scored on a South Carolina throwing error in the second. Tanner drove a solo homer to right-centerfield in the third. Jordan hit a solo dinger of his own in the fourth. Then, in the fifth inning, MSU scored three more times, courtesy of a Tanner Leggett RBI single and a two-run hit off the bat of Allen.
While State piled up the runs, starting pitcher Will Bednar cruised. He allowed only one run over the first five innings. It came on a solo home run from Andrew Eyster in the fourth. The long ball again bit Bednar in the sixth as the Gamecocks tried to climb back into the game. Wes Clarke drilled a two-run shot off Bednar to get South Carolina within six runs at 9-3.
The Gamecocks inched closer in the seventh inning. After State turned its pitching duties over to reliever Brandon Smith, the Bulldogs committed a couple of errors that paved the way to a three-run shot by Eyster. Suddenly, MSU led by only three.
That's as close as South Carolina could get though. Standout Landon Sims pitched the final two innings for the Bulldogs and didn't allow a hit. He struck out three and slammed the door on the Gamecocks.
MSU will try to keep its bats hot on Sunday as the Bulldogs go for the weekend sweep. State and South Carolina are set for a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday in Columbia.
Mississippi State's Tanner Leggett drove in one of MSU's nine runs on Saturday. The Bulldogs went on to top South Carolina 9-6. (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)
Alright, let's take a quick look at Saturday's numbers, game MVPs and the Moment of the Game:
Mississippi State at South Carolina box score
MSU Offensive MVP: RF Tanner Allen
It's almost to where opponents simply can't get Allen out. He went 4-for-5 on Saturday with a triple, three singles, three RBIs and a run scored. Allen is now 7-for-9 this weekend and has raised his season batting average to .382.
MSU Pitching MVP: RP Landon Sims
While Bednar was solid on Saturday, Sims entered with a three-run lead in the eighth inning and shut down South Carolina's hopes at a comeback. Sims hurled hitless and scoreless eighth and ninth innings to close out the MSU win. Sims has now given up just two runs and 13 hits over 32 innings this season. He has struck out 63 batters. Sims now boasts a 0.56 ERA and opponents are hitting just .120 against him.
Moment of the Game: Hancock puts the Dogs in control
State was in control from the very first inning on Saturday and the biggest swing in the frame belonged to Hancock. With MSU already up 1-0, Hancock stepped to the plate and mashed a ball deep over the right-field wall. Just like that, MSU had all the momentum. Here's a look at the swing that put State up 3-0 and on the way to the win:
Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports. Be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here.