BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The story of Tuesday night’s 7-3 midweek win for Mississippi State baseball began with offense.
Facing the University of Alabama at Birmingham, with a large Bulldog contingency who traveled to Birmingham, the bats exploded for four runs in the first inning: a three-run homer from Dakota Jordan and a solo home run for Luke Hancock.
The story late was pitching, especially the back-end of the bullpen, as Mississippi State (20-14) faced the minimum from the fifth inning on, shutting down the Blazers (10-22) in dominant fashion.
“I thought the point in the game was when Tyson Hardin came in,” Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said. “He was really good. And Aaron Nixon was really good. We had four innings there where they got one base runner on a bunt.”
Hardin, now at Mississippi State after two seasons at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida, struggled coming into Tuesday’s game.
In his nine appearances this season before facing UAB, he had given up three or more earned runs in four of those outings.
Facing the Blazers was a different story as he ended a streak of five-straight outings allowing a run with two scoreless innings of work, striking out two and allowing one hit.
“I’ve been making some big changes, just working on myself, new stuff, new arm slot,” Hardin said. “I’ve been throwing the sinker more and it’s been getting better every game.”
Pitching struggles allowed UAB to cut an early 4-0 lead to 5-3 after the fourth inning, giving little wiggle room to work with.
Starter Parker Stinnett walked four in two scoreless innings of work, escaping self-created threats from the Blazers, but Evan Siary struggled, giving up three runs and four hits in two innings.
Tuesday was a bullpen day from Mississippi State, a game to stretch out unused arms and rest big arms for this weekend’s big series against Ole Miss, but the struggles dissipated once Brock Tapper entered the game in the fifth.
“We got a really good bullpen,” Hardin said. “That’s a good team, but I’m just really confident with our guys out in the pen and I know once some of those guys come in, it’s hard to hit against us.”
Bulldog pitching allowed one base runner in the final five innings of play, striking out five between Tapper, Hardin and Nixon, who finished off the game with two scoreless innings, striking out two.
Mississippi State scored twice more late, giving some added cushion as its record this season against non-conference opponents improved to 17-5.
Now, all attention shifts toward the biggest series of the season to date, the headline matchup of Super Bulldog Weekend beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
“They know it’s an important game,” Lemonis said. “They know how much that game against Ole Miss means. But it’s not a fight, a boxing match. It’s not football. You have to play composed and you have to make plays, and make pitches. Being able to control your emotions is huge … They play in front of so many big crowds, they’re used to it, but this will be a little different.”
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