STARKVILLE — Tanner Poole can, as he put it, “chill,” now.
Now that Mississippi State’s JUCO transfer junior outfielder has recorded his first hit as a Bulldog, he can settle in and continue with business as normal.
“It’s the best feeling ever after getting that hit and hearing those cowbells ring,” he said.
Settling in, for Poole, meant going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs in his first start, an 8-2 win over Western Illinois on Saturday. Poole did it all out of the 8-hole, continuing MSU’s season-opening spurt of significant contribution from the bottom third of its lineup.
“The bottom of the lineup did their job; just because you bat seven, eight or nine doesn’t mean you’re a bad hitter,” Poole said.
On Saturday, Poole was preceded by first baseman Cole Gordon, who hit MSU’s first home run of the season, a solo shot over the right field wall in the fourth inning. Second baseman Hunter Stovall produced out of that lineup spot once more, now having three hits and a RBI to his name just two games into the season.
“Obviously, (Nos.) 7, 8 and 9 tonight with Gordon, Poole and Stovall, those guys had a big impact on the game tonight,” MSU coach Andy Cannizaro said. “We just want to have a balanced lineup where we can hurt teams in a lot of ways. We don’t want to be just top-heavy.”
Stovall was one of just two Bulldogs to record multiple hits in Friday’s season-opening 5-2 loss to Texas Tech, joining third baseman Luke Alexander.
Gordon’s home run was part of a bounce-back performance from a Friday game in which he struck out three times before being pulled for a pinch hitter.
“Last night, there was a lot of emotion running through, a lot of excitement,” he said. “Today, I got to settle down, really focusing on my strengths and what I can do.”
After rounding the bases, Gordon said several teammates told him, “It’s about time,” as he came back to the dugout.
MSU hosts a doubleheader on Sunday, against Western Illinois at noon and Texas Tech afterward. Cannizaro did not know after Saturday’s game who would start Sunday’s first game – the coaching staff planned to make that decision late Saturday – but the bullpen is fresh after reliever Jacob Barton threw 4 2/3 out of the bullpen on Friday.
“We’re so early in the season right now, we’re in a situation where we’re trying to find out who can do what for us,” Cannizaro said of bullpen management at this point. “(Friday) was really good for Barton to go out there, establish himself and show that he has those bullets in the tank to get guys out.”
Sophomore Ryan Cyr is slated to start the rematch with Texas Tech.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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