The Bulldog Box Score and More: MacLeod aces road test at South Carolina
Pitchers like Will Bednar and Landon Sims have captured many of the headlines for Mississippi State this season with their dominant performances. On Friday night, Christian MacLeod provided a reminder of exactly why he's the man that's at the front of the Bulldog rotation.
MacLeod was absolutely brilliant as the No. 4 Bulldogs blanked No. 19 South Carolina by a score of 9-0 in Columbia. MSU's left-hander tossed seven shutout innings in the game, allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out six batters.
With so many good arms on the State pitching staff, it sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle that MacLeod is the designated ace of the Bulldogs by virtue of his Friday night role. And yes, he's battled some inconsistency this season. But against the Gamecocks, MacLeod was about as dominant as any MSU hurler has been all year long.
"He was good," State head coach Chris Lemonis said in his postgame interview on the MSU Radio Network. "He was locating both of his off-speed pitches for strikes and kind of keeping [South Carolina] off balance...I thought he was really effective and in command the whole night."
MacLeod worked 1-2-3 innings in five of his seven frames. The biggest trouble he got into came in the third when South Carolina got a single and a walk to put runners at first and second with one out. However MacLeod wiggled out of danger as he induced a fly out and got a strikeout to end the threat.
With MacLeod putting the clamps on the Gamecock offense, MSU's lineup did plenty of damage. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead right from the jump as Kamren James had a first-inning RBI single and Luke Hancock grounded into a double play that also pushed home State's second run later in the frame.
MSU added on to its lead with a Tanner Allen RBI single in the fifth, then the Bulldogs broke the game wide open with a five-run seventh. James had a bases-loaded double in that inning to drive home three runs. He later scored on a passed ball and Brad Cumbest also provided an RBI double in the frame to give State an 8-0 lead. The Bulldogs notched their final run of the night with another RBI single from Allen in the eighth.
Up 9-0, Lemonis elected to go ahead and remove MacLeod from the contest. The southpaw was only at 89 pitches, but with next week's SEC series against Missouri beginning on Thursday, that means MacLeod will pitch on one fewer day of rest than usual. So Lemonis decided to hopefully save a bullet or two for MacLeod since MSU had the comfortable edge over the Gamecocks.
"With the lead, we probably could have ran [MacLeod] out there to finish, but we're losing a day this upcoming week," Lemonis said. "So as we get into this preparation [for next week], with the lead, it was probably easier to just take him out."
Preston Johnson and K.C. Hunt finished things out of the bullpen for State. Johnson pitched around a two-out single in the eighth and Hunt safely navigated a ninth inning in which he walked a couple of batters. As for the other MSU relievers, they should be fully rested as State tries to clinch this weekend's series in a 3 p.m. central game on Saturday.
"We really didn't even have to crank up many guys," Lemonis said of his pitching staff. "We should have a good bullpen for [Saturday]."
In large part, Lemonis and the Bulldogs have MacLeod to thank for that.
Christian MacLeod pitched seven shutout innings and only allowed one hit on Friday night as MSU went on to defeat South Carolina 9-0. (File photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)
Alright, let's take a quick look at Friday's numbers, along with MSU's game MVPs and the Moment of the Game:
Mississippi State at South Carolina box score
MSU Offensive MVP: DH Kamren James
James missed Wednesday night's win over The Citadel due to sickness, but he sure made his presence known in his return to the lineup on Friday. James ended the evening 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored.
James also provided what was probably the night's biggest swing. More on that crucial hack in just a minute.
MSU Pitching MVP: SP Christian MacLeod
It couldn't be anyone else on this night. MacLeod pitched a career-best seven innings without allowing a run and under different circumstances, likely would've been left in the game to try and finish up a complete game shutout. However with a comfortable lead and just six days away from his next start as opposed to his usual full week, Lemonis felt it was best to go ahead and get MacLeod out of the game.
Still, what an encouraging sign for MSU to get this type of showing from MacLeod on the road against a Top-20 opponent. Just imagine what this Bulldog team could be if it could consistently get six innings or more out of both MacLeod and Bednar each weekend. Combine that type of production with State's stellar bullpen and that seems like a surefire recipe for prolonged success.
Moment of the Game: Kam clears the bases
If South Carolina had any hopes of a comeback on Friday, James put those thoughts to bed really quickly. MSU had a 3-0 lead with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh inning. James stepped to the plate and cleared the bags. His double drove home three runs, doubled State's lead to 6-0 and all but ended the Gamecocks' chances. Here's a look at James' big hit:
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