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Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Run-Rules Southern Miss as Offense, Pitching Both Shine

Mississippi State baseball delivered a statement win over No. 11 Southern Miss, combining early offense with a sharp, walk-free pitching effort.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Chris Billingsley Jr. walks off the mound after a scoreless first inning against No. 11 Southern Miss at Dudy Noble Field.
Mississippi State pitcher Chris Billingsley Jr. walks off the mound after a scoreless first inning against No. 11 Southern Miss at Dudy Noble Field. | Mississippi State Athletics

When a team gets hot at the plate, there isn’t much an opposing pitching staff can do about it.

Even when that staff already has a win against that team, like No. 11 Southern Miss had over No. 6 Mississippi State, it can become clear quickly what’s going to happen.

That was Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

The Bulldogs came out swinging and making contact. That usually leads to good things and did it against the Golden Eagles. Mississippi State scored a run in each of the first four innings to build a 10-0 lead and cruised to a 12-2 victory.

At the Plate

The Bulldogs scored three runs in first and chased Southern Miss starter Thomas Crabtree from the game after recording one out and giving up two runs. They ended the inning with a 3-0 lead and never looked back.

Mississippi State scored a run in the second before a five-run explosion in the third inning. That was a result of a line drive home run from freshman Jacob Parker and a two-run shot to right field by Aidan Teel.

Once it was all said and done, Mississippi State had 14 total hits, 12 RBIs, two home runs, five free bases and only five strikeouts. Four batters had multiple hits, too.

When a team is hitting like that at the plate, even the best pitching staffs will struggle to mitigate the damage.

On the Mound

It also helped the Bulldogs’ pitchers were on point Tuesday, too.

Chris Billingsley Jr. was great in his first start this season, pitching two innings with only two hits allowed and two strikeouts. Freshman fireballer Jack Bauer had a solid, positive outing. He didn’t allow any base runners, recorded a strikeout and did reach triple digits on the radar gun.

That was the theme for the Bulldogs’ pitching staff. Young, unfrequently used relievers getting positive experiences on the mound against a top 15 team. As a unit, they held Southern Miss to seven total hits, two extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts.

Perhaps most impressive was that no Mississippi State pitcher allowed a walk.

With some questions surrounding the Bulldogs’ weekend rotation ahead of a big rivalry weekend series, that’s a great things to see. Tuesday night showed there is depth to Mississippi State’s bullpen and, if needed, a bullpen game would be feasible.

Pitching Decisions

  • WP: Jack Bauer (1-0), 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K, 19 TP, 13 ST
  • LP: Thomas Crabtree (0-2), 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 22 TP, 14 ST

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

  • Aidan Teel: 4-4, 2 RBI, 4 R, 1 HR
  • Jacob Parker: 1-3, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 K
  • Gehrig Frei: 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB
  • Ryder Woodson: 2-2, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
  • Reed Stallman: 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HBP

Next Up

Mississippi State will continue its Magnolia State rivalry week with the biggest foe of them all, Ole Miss.

The Rebels rejoined the top 25 this week after getting a series win against then-No. 15 Kentucky. The Bulldogs will face travel to No. 18 Ole Miss for a weekend series starting Friday. First-pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on SECN+.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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