Weather once again forced Mississippi State to move baseball games around, turning a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series into a Friday twinbill and Sunday finale. The Bulldogs certainly did not mind playing two, taking Game 1 9-2 and the nightcap 5-1 over Maine to push their record to 14-1 on the year, now enjoying a 10 game winning streak. Pitching was the story once again, as Ethan Small and JT Ginn continued to show why they may be the best 1-2 punch in the SEC, combining to throw 12 innings, giving 2 runs, and striking out 18 Black Bear Batters.
BIG BLASTS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Westy walloped it 😳#HailState🐶 | @jordan_cw21 pic.twitter.com/vC1walf4cr
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) March 8, 2019
Both games featured huge shots that landed deep in the Left Field Lounge. In Game 1, it was shortstop Jordan Westburg, whose 410 foot rocket is the longest of the season thus far for MSU. Game 2 saw catcher Dustin Skelton crush one that put the Bulldogs up 3-0 in the second inning. Skelton has hit three home runs in the early going after only having one a season ago. State doesn’t seem to have a guy I would mark down for double digit dingers, but there is power interspersed throughout the lineup. You have to think as the weather warms up and hitting catches up to pitching, the Bulldogs will see some more bombs out of their starting nine.
SMALL IS BIG
Small K count: 9️⃣
He's now struck out at least one batter in 19 of 23 innings pitched this season.#HailState🐶 | @E7hanS pic.twitter.com/KyB1Xjafbg
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) March 8, 2019
Ethan Small would tack on one more K before his day was done, and he finally got the run support he had been lacking in his previous three starts to get his first win of the season. Small has been a great anchor for Friday nights, simply limiting his opponents to few hits and even fewer walks. Small gave away his first two free passes of the season on Friday, snapping a streak of 80 batters without a walk. What’s most impressive about the MSU pitching staff, is that as good as Small is, he might not be the best guy on the roster.
JT DELIVERS A-GINN
The kid’s got it 👌
6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K#HailState🐶 | @JT_Ginn3 pic.twitter.com/82Cp9NHssu
— Mississippi State Baseball ⚾️ (@HailStateBB) March 9, 2019
JT Ginn just continues to show why he was a first round pick last summer, and why he re-enters the draft after next season, he will likely be picked even higher. In what he himself described as an off night, Ginn just kept putting batters away. If either one of these guys were the headliner of a staff, that coach would feel great about it. Having both of them puts Coach Chris Lemonis in the position of knowing that entering SEC play, his team can have a tough night at the plate and still be very much in every game. With a trip to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators next weekend, we will get a quick answer on how legit these two are. My guess, what we’ve seen so far will continue.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Final from the nightcap of tonight's twin bill in Starkville.
We're off tomorrow, but will meet again Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET for the series finale against Mississippi State#BlackBearNation | #AEBASE pic.twitter.com/aO0vEjGiFG
— Maine Baseball (@MaineBaseball) March 9, 2019
Mississippi State will take Saturday off to try and avoid the oncoming severe weather, but will return to the diamond Sunday at noon. MSU will keep Keegan James in his usual role as the Game 3 starter, but the Bulldogs will have plenty of fresh arms should the need arise. State will be looking for its 11th win a row, which would be the longest winning streak since the Diamond Dawgs reeled off 12 straight in the 2016 campaign.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
