The Offense Disappears for Mississippi State in a 4-0 Loss to Vanderbilt

The Bulldogs drop game one in Nashville.

Mississippi State head baseball coach Chris Lemonis watches play against Ole Miss during the / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA

The Mississippi State Bulldogs dropped game one of this crucial series against Vanderbilt 3-0. Khal Stephen drew the start for MSU, and the right hand has been excellent for the past month, but the Commodores got to him early. 

Jonathan Vastine hit a first-pitch fastball over the left wall to take an early lead, and Alan Espinal answered with a two-out bomb to center field. Vandy also scored another run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-0 lead. 

However, Stephen was not phased and settled into the game as usual. The Purdue transfer did allow one more run in his 7.1 innings of work but retired 14 straight batters at one point. 

Stephen pitched well enough for MSU to win his game, but the offense disappeared. The Bulldog lineup has underperformed relative to expectations all year, but tonight was perhaps their worst performance. 

They struggled to make solid contact all night and to make matters worse, they did little to make the starting pitcher work. Bryce Cunningham drew the start for Vandy and came into the game with a 6.47 ERA, but they did not matter, as the Alabama native pitched a complete game shutout. 

The Bulldogs looked lost at the plate and finished the game with two walks and two hits. They only struck out four times, which is a positive, but this offense should have enough high-end talent with Dakota Jordan, Hunter Hines, and Connor Hujsak to be solid. 

However, the lineup consistently holds this team back, which is shocking considering the pitching staff was the worry coming into the season. This series has significant postseason implications for MSU, and it will be tough for them to bounce back. 

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis opted to go with Jurrangelo Cijntje on Sunday to have the pitching advantage in the series finale, making game two even more challenging. They will try to even the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.