STARKVILLE – According to Wes Rea, the biggest factor contributing to Mississippi State’s current slump is baseball is an inability to get big hits in key situations.
That was certainly the case Wednesday night.
On a day when MSU hitters were a combined one-for-12 with runners in scoring position, the Bulldogs stranded 11 runners on base and scraped across just one run in a 3-1 loss to Western Kentucky.
“We are close, I know it doesn’t seem like it but we are,” said Rea. “I’ve been in baseball for a long time and I’ve been playing at this level for a long time, and I know that all we need to do is get that first big hit. When it comes, hitting is contagious and we will break through. Right now, we are not getting that big hit. We are doing a lot of things right out here, but the one thing we are doing wrong is costing us ball games.”
It has now cost MSU four of its last six games. The Bulldogs, who started 13-0, now sit at 15-4 with Southeastern Conference play looming, and a sluggish offensive performance against Western Kentucky is partly to blame.
After Rea delivered an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the third inning, MSU managed just four more hits and were held scoreless over the game’s final six innings in defeat.
“I thought we pitched well enough to win, we just did not have enough offensive production,” said MSU coach John Cohen. “Until we start taking better swing with runners in scoring position, we are going to keep going through this.”
Since suffering a 3-2 setback against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 3, MSU’s offense has been inconsistent at best. The Bulldogs rallied for a 6-5 victory over Western Kentucky on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, an offense that has averaged just over three runs per game over its last six games failed to come through again for MSU.
Against six WKU pitchers, including winner Cody Coll, MSU struck out seven times. The middle of MSU’s batting order was especially troublesome. Besides Rea’s 2-for-2 performance, MSU’s No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 hitters were a combined 0-for-11 with six runners left on base.
The lack of offensive punch led to a loss for MSU senior Ross Mitchell, now 3-2 on the year. Mitchell entered the game with one out in the first inning after freshman starter Paxton Stover failed to record an out. After reliever Levi Mintz coaxed a ground ball out, Mitchell entered with the bases loaded and one out, and he proceeded to escape trouble. But he allowed three straight singles to start the sixth inning, and a sacrifice fly by Western Kentucky right fielder Kaleb Duckworth gave the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish.
While Mitchell was saddled with the loss, Cohen knew the blame wasn’t on his pitching staff.
“I thought we did a great job to get out of that first inning without more damage,” said Cohen. “Ross, Levi both did a great job, we just couldn’t string together hits.”
MSU’s loss comes two days before the Bulldogs will open Southeastern Conference play with a home series against Alabama.
For Cohen, that means the offensive ship needs to right itself quickly.
“It’s like a golf swing,” said Cohen. “When a golfer is having problems with his swing, he has to keep working on it, keep getting encouragement, keep making adjustments. We will be better than this offensively.”
While MSU managed seven hits, only Rea had more than one. The Bulldogs also managed just one extra-base hit, a double by senior shortstop Seth Heck to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
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