All the momentum the Mississippi State baseball team had built over the past two weeks was washed away in Sunday afternoon’s head-pounding loss at Auburn.
As good as the Bulldogs’ starting staff had pitched and their lineup had hit, especially in Saturday’s and Sunday’s game, it wasn’t enough to overcome an inconsistent bullpen that couldn’t protect a six-run lead, allowing the Tigers to pull off a miracle 12-11 walk-off win and take the weekend series.
With each game growing in importance as it pertains to NCAA Tournament aspirations, the Bulldogs now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Governor’s Cup matchup against Ole Miss at Trustmark Park.
Here is what to watch for in Tuesday’s game.
What: Mississippi State vs Ole Miss
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Trustmark Park (Pearl)
TV: SEC Network
Records/Rankings: MSU is 23-17, 6-12 in the SEC and unranked in this week’s D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll. Ole Miss is 21-19, 3-15 in the SEC and unranked in this week’s D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll. MSU has an RPI of 38 and Ole Miss has an RPI of 62.
Series History: MSU beat Ole Miss 2-1 in this year’s conference series during Super Bulldog Weekend and has won seven consecutive series against the Rebels. Ole Miss won last year’s Governer’s Cup meeting in Pearl.
MSU Update: The Bulldogs’ resurgence in SEC play was halted this week when they lost two of three at Auburn. MSU blew a 7-0 lead in Sunday’s game, which the Tigers won, 12-11. The Bulldogs also lost one of its top relievers, Nate Dohm, to an arm injury in the eighth inning. The Tigers also won Friday’s game, 2-1, while MSU held on for an 11-10 Saturday win. It was a solid series for the Bulldogs’ starting arms as Cade Smith, Colby Holcombe and Jurrangelo Cijntje combined to throw 15 innings, allowing eight earned runs and striking out 17.
Ole Miss Update: The Rebels were swept in this weekend’s home series against No. 1 LSU, where the Tigers hit 6 home runs on the weekend, including one grand slam. Ole Miss, who lost 7-3 on Friday and 8-4 on Saturday, held a 6-4 lead in the ninth on Sunday before LSU’s Hayden Travinski hit a game-winning three-run homer to win the game.
Projected Ole Miss lineup: CF Ethan Groff (.308/ 48 H/ 5 HR / 38 RBI) , C Calvin Harris (.348/ 55 H / 6 HR / 30 RBI), SS Jacob Gonzalez (.331/ 49 H / 7 HR / 37 RBI) , LF Kemp Alderman (.354/ 56 H/ 17 HR/ 55 RBI) , 1B Anthony Calarco (.297/ 41 H/ 5 HR/ 29 RBI), 3B Ethan Lege (.250/ 31 H/ 2 HR / 15 RBI) , DH Will Furniss (.272/ 25 H/ 3 HR/ 10 RBI), 2B Peyton Chatagnier (.245/ 34 H/ 6 RBI/ 20 RBI) , RF TJ McCants (.231/ 27 H/ 7 HR/ 20 RBI)
Players to watch: Jordan Vera has been one of Ole Miss’ go-to midweek game go-to arms and could be its starter, given that he didn’t pitch against LSU this week. In his last start, Vera pitched two innings against Arkansas State on April 18, allowing two earned runs and striking out one batter. He also pitched four innings against Alcorn State on April 12, allowing three runs and striking out four. Vera did not pitch against MSU earlier this season.
Kemp Alderman continues to be a menace at the plate. Alderman, a junior, collected four hits against the No. 1-ranked Tigers, including one double, two home runs and four RBIs. Alderman tallied four hits, a home run and two RBIs at Dudy Noble Field two weeks ago.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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