Unpacking Mississippi State baseball's series win at No. 2 LSU, capped by a wild finale
It took a combined 419 pitches from 16 pitchers for Mississippi State baseball and LSU to end a marathon rubber match on Sunday. After 4 hours and 12 minutes of action, MSU came out victorious against the No. 2 Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Bulldogs secured a 14-13 win in 10 innings, coming back from a 13-4 deficit entering the sixth inning against LSU (39-12, 17-9 SEC). Behind 16 hits, four from shortstop David Mershon, Mississippi State (26-24, 8-19) clinched just its third SEC series win of the season.
After getting run-ruled in the opener, MSU used a six-run eighth inning Saturday to even the series with a 9-4 win. Despite getting just two innings from starter Jurrangelo Cijntje on Sunday, Mississippi State outdueled a struggling LSU bullpen.
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Chris Lemonis’ pitching approach helps salvage series
Since firing assistant Scott Foxhall two weeks ago, MSU coach Chris Lemonis has had full reign of MSU’s pitching. His decision to move Cade Smith out of the Friday slot may be why Mississippi State won the series.
LSU’s Paul Skenes has been the top pitcher in the SEC this season, and the Tigers have taken advantage – winning in 11 of his 13 starts. Friday’s matchup against MSU is included in that with Skenes allowing just one run in LSU’s seven-inning 12-1 win.
Beating Skenes, regardless of who opposes him on the mound, is a tough task. Lemonis elected to not waste his top starter in that matchup. Instead, Smith moved to Saturday where he allowed just two runs in six innings – fueling Mississippi State to the victory.
Colby Holcombe struggled out of the bullpen in replacing Smith. However, Lemonis was quick to remove him and allow KC Hunt to minimize damage in the seventh and deliver a shutout eighth inning. Aaron Nixon closed the game in the ninth.
Without having to use his top arms Friday, Lemonis gave himself bullpen depth in the finale. Tyler Davis and Nixon combined for six scoreless innings to close Sunday's game.
How Mississippi State fared against Dylan Crews, Tommy White
Between outfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Tommy White, LSU may have the two best hitters in the SEC. With Crews hitting third and White hitting fourth, containing one usually isn’t enough to slow down the Tigers’ offense – as MSU found out.
Crews entered the series hitting .457, which led the SEC. However, he had only one hit in his last 10 at-bats, too. Mississippi State extended his slump.
Crews went 3-for-11 in the series with one RBI, but the Bulldogs couldn’t slow down White.
White hit a game-ending home run in Friday’s run-rule win. That highlighted a 8-for-14 series with five RBIs. His batting average is now up to .396 to go with his 18 home runs.
With the game knotted at 13, a runner on third and two outs in the ninth inning of Sunday’s matchup, Lemonis elected to intentionally walk Crews and White. It proved to be a worthwhile decision with Nixon escaping the jam and extending the game into extra innings.
Where MSU stands in SEC tournament race
Mississippi State is approaching a second consecutive season without a postseason appearance. The Bulldogs remain two games back of Missouri for the 12th and final spot in the SEC tournament.
Mississippi State opens a three game series against Texas A&M on Thursday to close the regular season. Missouri will spend its final series at Auburn. MSU has not missed consecutive conference tournaments since missing three straight from 2008-10.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Unpacking Mississippi State baseball's series win at No. 2 LSU
