STARKVILLE — The wheels were in motion inside Mississippi State’s dugout and bullpen in the top of the seventh inning Friday night, with the Bulldogs cycling through one pitcher after another as they tried to escape a jam.
It took four arms in all to get three outs, but when left-hander Luke Dotson struck out Cal McGinnis swinging on a full count with the bases loaded, MSU had limited the damage to a single run. High-leverage right-handers Tyson Hardin and Brooks Auger took it the rest of the way in a 5-2 Bulldogs victory over Evansville, their seventh consecutive win.
“When you come out of the ‘pen and we walk a guy and we hit a guy, that’s what starts the inning. It’s not the hits,” MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “Luke Dotson came in, did a great job, matched up on their lefty. Tyson Hardin was really good once again. They get a hit or so, but he pitches out of it, and then Brooks pitched great at the end. We just have to come out of the bullpen, some of the guys, and attack the strike zone.”
That bullpen parade followed another outstanding start from Nate Dohm, who struck out 10 Purple Aces and walked just one in 6 ⅓ innings. He scattered seven hits but was at his best with runners on and threw a season-high 101 pitches.
Dohm remained in the game after allowing a one-out double in the seventh, even following a conference at the mound. But after throwing one pitch to pinch-hitter Evan Waggoner, Dohm was shaking his pitching hand in some discomfort and was promptly removed. Lemonis said Dohm was tired and felt a “zinger,” and did not seem concerned about it being a long-term issue.
The Bulldogs (10-4) left runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but their best all-around hitter was not about to let that happen a third time. Amani Larry led off the third with a double to right field, then David Mershon drew a four-pitch walk. That set the stage for Dakota Jordan, who unloaded on a 1-2 pitch and sent it well over the wall in left for a three-run home run, his sixth of the season and fourth in the last six games.
“That was a big hit. I really enjoyed that moment running around the bases,” Jordan said. “In that time, we really needed that hit and those runs, so it was a pretty big moment.”
Jordan, who had already doubled in the first, was in the middle of another MSU rally in the fourth. With runners at first and second and two outs, he lined a 2-0 offering to right field to drive in Johnny Long for his fourth RBI of the night. He added an infield single in the sixth, then was walked intentionally in his final plate appearance in the eighth.
Hunter Hines, batting behind Jordan in the order, singled in his last three at-bats, including an infield hit that followed Jordan’s RBI single in the fourth to drive in Larry. Hines hit a team-best 22 homers last year but has yet to go deep this season, and was hitless in his last three games entering Friday. Of his 18 hits so far in 2024, 16 have been singles.
“I’m seeing (the ball) a little bit better,” Hines said. “I don’t think I was ever seeing it bad. I was just lining out and not hitting my pitches. I have to continue to get better. Tonight’s still not the way I really wanted to be, I wasted two at-bats, so I’ll continue to do better.”
The Bulldogs led 5-1 when Dohm exited, and lefty Cole Cheatham entered to finish the battle with the left-handed Waggoner, but issued a walk and was replaced by Gavin Black. Black plunked Mark Shallenberger with the first pitch he threw to load the bases and bring the potential tying run to the plate, and Brent Widder’s infield single brought home one run. But Black got Simon Scherry on a called third strike for the second out before giving way to Dotson.
Hardin, who earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief Tuesday against Southern Miss, pitched out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth, and Auger worked around a one-out single in the ninth for the save.
“(Dohm) is an ultra-competitive kid. We were taking him out, he’s like, ‘Coach, I have to go back out there,’” Lemonis said. “He wants the ball, he wants to pitch on Friday night, and he’s pitching good. They’ll get a hit here and there, but it’s hard to get too many. He just keeps competing.”
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