Diamond Dawgs Fall Short of Comeback in Game One Loss to Northern Kentucky, 7-6

The Bulldogs were narrowly defeated by Northern Kentucky on Friday night.

On Friday night, Mississippi State was upset 7-6 by the previously-winless Northern Kentucky Norse to start the weekend series off badly. 

True freshman Hunter Hines went 2-for-5 at the plate with a triple, a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. In his first start for the Bulldogs this season, Tanner Leggett had one hit on four at-bats with two RBIs. Starting pitcher Landon Sims had a tough outing for the Bulldogs, as he gave up four runs on six hits and struck out only four batters faced. 

The game started slow for both offenses. Sims forced a 1-2-3 half-inning on nine pitches-- seven of which were strikes. The Bulldogs took over on offense at the bottom of the inning but were also unable to make much happen. 

Much like in the first inning, Sims quickly took care of business with the Norse to start the second frame. He ended the top of the inning with a strikeout and carried plenty of momentum pack into the dugout. The Bulldogs had their first big hit of the game by designated hitter Hines. The true freshman swung at the first pitch he saw and sent it flying into center field for a no-out triple. Matt Corder drove him in for an RBI. Brad Cumbest and Kellum Clark both reached base on errant pitches-- Cumbest was hit by a pitch and Clark walked. Then, with two outs, Leggett hit a line-drive single to bring Cumbest home for another run. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning.

Northern Kentucky finally got the bats alive to start the third inning. Sims gave up a leadoff single and bunt before recording the first out of the inning. Unfortunately, a line-drive single scored one run, and a double only plays later added two more. Sims was able to record the final out of the inning on a strikeout, but not before the Norse took a 3-2 lead. MSU managed to get two on base thanks to another walk and hit batter, but could not capitalize. For the first time, the Bulldogs' defense was set to take the field with their backs against the wall. 

Sims got off to another shaky start at the beginning of the fourth inning, but he managed to get out of it. He gave up a single and a walk with no outs before forcing a pop fly and getting some momentum back. The entire Bulldogs infield came together for a double play to get the final two outs of the frame and escape unscathed. Once again, Mississippi State was unable to reach base on offense; however, they were able to work the pitch count well. 

After loading the bases with only one out, the Bulldogs defense was able to hold the Norse to only one run, making the score 4-2 in favor of the visitors. The bottom of the inning ended quickly for Mississippi State, as Kamren James, Luke Hancock and Logan Tanner each had a flyout within the first few pitches of their respective at-bats. 

Parker Stinnett was brought into the game for MSU to start the sixth inning. Although he had two strikeouts, he let his control slip away a bit as time went on. Ultimately, Stinnett gave up one run to give the Bulldogs a three-run deficit. Hines got things going for State at the bottom of the inning with an incredible home run to make the score 5-3. Finally, the team looked to pick up a little momentum...or not. Each of the next three batters flew out in the outfield, showing strength but not just hitting the ball in the right spot. 

Stinnett gave up a leadoff double but bounced back with a huge strikeout to get the first out of the seventh inning. That was all for Stinnett, as MSU went to the bullpen quickly and brought out Cam Tullar. That change ended up being critical for the Bulldogs, as Tullar loaded the bases. He walked in two runs before being pulled in favor of Stone Simmons, who managed to escape the bases-loaded situation. Down 7-3, the situation became dire for MSU. State managed to load up the bases with one out thanks to a few walks, and Tanner drove in a run to make it a 7-4 game. He was thrown out on the play, and Hines struck out to end the inning. 

Simmons came back out to start the eighth inning and had one of the best performances of any pitcher today. He allowed no runners to get on base and gave the Diamond Dawgs some much-needed momentum heading into crunch time. Finally, the Bulldogs' offense came somewhat alive. RJ Yeager and Corder were walked to start the inning, and pinch-hitter Von Seibert singled to load the bases with no outs. Speedster Brayland Skinner was brought in to run for him. The first out of the inning came on an infield hit by pinch-hitter Drew McGowan, as the fielder chose to put Yeager out at home while allowing McGowan to advance to first. Leggett drove Corder home at the expense of the second out of the inning. Then, on a wild pitch, Skinner came flying home to third and managed to touch the bag before being touched. The run made the score 7-6 and gave the Bulldogs a chance to pull off the comeback. James was walked, but Hancock grounded out to end the inning.

Unfortunately for the Diamond Dawgs, the ninth inning went much like the first. Defensively, Stone Simmons had another shutout inning, but MSU was unable to get anything going offensively. The Norse took the unexpected 7-6 victory over Mississippi State to improve to 1-3 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 2-3.

Mississippi State will look to even the series tomorrow as they face Northern Kentucky in the second game of the series at 2 p.m. CT in Starkville.