STARKVILLE – There were few signs of trouble for Mississippi State’s offense through the first 13 games of the season.
Now, just two games later, there are few signs of life.
After outscoring opponents 115-34 while ripping off 13 straight wins to open the season, MSU’s offense has hit a sudden lull, managing just three runs in the last two games, losses to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and San Diego.
In the aftermath of the Bulldogs’ 3-2 loss to AUPB on Tuesday night, MSU coach John Cohen lamented the fact that the Bulldogs didn’t battle enough at the plate. That trend continued on Friday night in a 2-1 loss to San Diego.
“It’s frustrating when you don’t have competitive at-bats from one through nine in your lineup,” said Cohen. “It’s disappointing. In the middle of the game, we punched out five times in a row. Guys aren’t going up there and fighting through at-bats, making adjustments.”
MSU bounced back for a 4-2 win Saturday at Dudy Noble Field, behind seven innings of three-hit pitching by Austin Sexton. The Bulldogs and Toreros play a 1:30 p.m. rubber match today to decide the series.
In its last nine games, MSU pitching has allowed three runs or fewer. Now, the offense will try to join the party.
Most of MSU’s struggles Friday night could be directly attributed to San Diego starter David Hill. A week after limiting No. 8 Texas to just one run on one hit through seven innings, Hill did nearly the same thing to No. 8 MSU, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings. After not recording a strikeout through the first three innings, Hill fanned five straight Bulldogs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, a march that started at No. 2 hitter Luke Reynolds and carried through the heart of the MSU batting order.
“The guy on the mound was really good tonight,” said MSU rightfielder Cody Brown, who delivered two of the Bulldogs’ six hits and scored the only MSU run of the game. “He won more battles than we did.”
The recent struggles have been a surprise. Through the first two weeks of the season, MSU’s offense cruised, averaging nearly 11 hits and 8.8 runs per game while winning 12 of the season’s first 13 games by at least three runs.
Then came Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which limited the Bulldogs to just six hits and two runs, which were scored in the fourth inning. From that point, MSU was held scoreless for 12 consecutive innings. Only an RBI single by shortstop Seth Heck – who has four hits in the last two games – in the bottom of the eighth against San Diego made an impression on the scoreboard.
In both losses, MSU ran up against quality pitchers, as UAPB ace Andre Davis pitched the last four innings of the Golden Lions’ win while Hill added his gem Friday night.
Of Hill, Cohen said, “He’s an SEC-caliber pitcher. He’s a guy that will prepare you to play in our league, we just didn’t have enough quality at-bats against him.”
Hill’s strong outing, combined with Davis slamming the door Tuesday night, were troubling to Cohen.
“The No. 1 reason teams struggle offensively is usually the guy on the mound,” said Cohen. “And the conditions haven’t been great. But really it is about getting locked in and wanting to compete. Right now, we are not doing that. I feel like you need to get 28-30 good at-bats every game. You’re not necessarily going to get a hit every time, but you have to be ready to compete.”
For the Bulldogs, the slump has been contagious. Outside of Heck, Brown and Jake Vickerson, no Bulldog has recorded multiple hits over the last two games. And the players who have struggled all season continue to do so. Sophomore Luke Reynolds, penciled in as MSU’s No. 2 hitter Friday night, went 0-for-3 and his average dipped to .158 on the season. Cleanup hitter Reid Humphreys is batting just .213 and junior college transfer John Holland is at .227.
“Baseball is a funny game,” said Cohen. “These things go in cycles and waves. It will come back around for this team, but to do that, we have to make it happen. And you do that by competing every single at-bat, every single pitch.”
Brown, who reached base safely all three times on Friday, agreed.
“There’s no team in the country that prepares more than we do,” said Brown. “We just have to keep fighting.”
Follow Dispatch Sports Writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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