The Bulldog Box Score: Masterful MacLeod sets stage for MSU victory

Perhaps last weekend's sweep at the hands of Arkansas indeed lit a fire under the Bulldogs.

No. 8 Mississippi State got a stellar pitching performance from ace Christian MacLeod and the offense did plenty as the Bulldogs got back into the win column with an 8-1 win over Kentucky on Thursday night. MSU was in desperate need of a bounce-back night and got it, led by MacLeod.

"Our kids, they were disappointed last week," Lemonis said. "They were pissed. They take it personal. And you could see the result from Christian there."

MacLeod threw six shutout innings and allowed only two hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out 11.

"He commanded the fastball really well, but I think he had his best breaking ball of the year, which he needed against some of their really good hitters," Lemonis said of MacLeod. "When he has all three pitches going like that, he’s really tough to hit."

With MacLeod dealing, MSU didn't need much offense, but the Bulldogs ended up getting plenty. It wasn't without some struggle. State was hitless over its first 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position. However a pair of Luke Hancock sacrifice flies, a Kamren James bases-loaded walk and a solo home run from Rowdey Jordan gave MSU a 4-0 lead through six innings.

Kentucky got one run back in the seventh, but MSU put the game away in the eighth with a four spot. Jordan drove in a run on a grounder to short in which he reached via an error. Two batters later, James stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and cleared them with a three-run double.

All told, Thursday didn't totally erase MSU's frustrations from last weekend. But it certainly got at least some of that sour taste gone.

"I challenged (the team) before this game (by saying), 'We’ll learn a lot about you, because if you play in this league you’ve got to be able to handle the punches,'" Lemonis said. "You’ve got to be able to fight back. You’ve got to have a real belief in yourself as a player."

(NOTE: YOU CAN WATCH LEMONIS' FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE. YOU CAN WATCH JAMES' FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. MACLEOD'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE IS BELOW IN THE PITCHING MVP SECTION.)

Alright, let's take a look at Thursday's numbers, MSU's MVPs of the Game, the Moment of the Game and a couple of notes.

Kentucky at Mississippi State box score

MSU Offensive MVP: CF Rowdey Jordan

Jordan certainly hasn't been having the type of season he'd prefer, but he perhaps took steps to break out of his season-long slump on Thursday. The Bulldog centerfielder was just 1-for-3, but he was a difference-maker all night long.

Jordan reached base in four of his five trips to the plate and scored three of those times. He was hit by pitches in the first and third innings and scored MSU's second run of the game in the third. In the sixth inning, Jordan drove a solo home run to right to give the Bulldogs a 4-1 lead. Then in the eighth, Jordan drove in a run with a grounder to shortstop that was booted. Jordan reached on the error and later scored on Kamren James' three-run double that broke the game open.

The stat books will forever have Jordan down for what might appear to be just a simple one-hit night. But make no mistake, he was quite a spark on Thursday for what has been an inconsistent Bulldog offense. We'll see if it can also serve as a start for a Jordan resurgence.

MSU Pitching MVP: SP Christian MacLeod

Six days after Arkansas took MacLeod to the woodshed and tagged him with four home runs, the MSU southpaw certainly looked like an ace again on Thursday night.

MacLeod was in complete control all night long. Only two Wildcats even reached second base. MacLeod also had a stretch in which he retired 12 straight Kentucky batters. It was a dominant showing for the lefty from start to finish. Here's more from MacLeod with his full postgame press conference:

Moment of the Game: Drawing first blood

The first inning was somewhat disappointing for MSU as the Bulldogs loaded the bases with nobody out and came away with only one run. However on a night State could sure use a good start, it seemed like that one run was quite a lift.

It came courtesy of a Luke Hancock sacrifice fly. And yes, it was just a 1-0 lead at the time. But after the frustrations of last weekend's Arkansas series, getting an early lead with MacLeod dealing set the foundation for a successful MSU night.

Notes

– Lemonis didn't provide any clarity on pitcher Riley Self's status when asked postgame, however Lemonis noted he soon will. Self was injured last Friday and had to leave his outing against Arkansas with an apparent arm ailment of some kind.

"I think we'll have something here in the next day," Lemonis said. "I think we'll put something out. We're almost sure, but I haven't talked to Riley yet. So I just want to wait. I'll wait 24 hours and let y'all know (Friday) if that's OK."

– Talented freshman Kellum Clark is now back to full strength, Lemonis said. Clark dealt with an undisclosed medical ailment last month and was limited to just one at-bat in March. But Clark's promising bat could soon be seeing more action according to Lemonis.

"He's 100 percent back now," Lemonis said. "This is the first weekend he's 100 percent back available...With the rainouts and everything this week, we had some scrimmages here and he played...He's 100 percent. He's a guy that you'll see here soon during some games."

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