“It feels good, I can tell you that.”
Chris Lemonis was a happy man after Mississippi State’s 15-5 demolition of the defending national champions and second-ranked LSU in game three of the teams’ weekend series on Sunday.
It was the first time since 2003 that the Bulldogs (15-6) took a home series over the Tigers (17-4), and it couldn’t have been more deserved given the quality of their play throughout the weekend.
“Just a tremendous effort in all three games,” Lemonis continued. “The competitive spirit was really high. I challenged them on Thursday, you know, you’re going to be exhausted on Sunday afternoon just because every pitch matters so much. I think I’m exhausted right now. What a fun weekend.”
Game three was blown wide open in the middle innings, starting with back-to-back home runs from Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines. The three-run shot with two away was Jordan’s 10th homer of the year and kickstarted what would eventually be 12 runs scored over four innings to down the Tigers via run-rule.
Jordan and Hines’ prolific performances at the plate were not unique to them over the weekend. Amani Larry, Bryce Chance, Logan Kohler, and Connor Hujsak were among those with several big at-bats from a Bulldog order glowing with confidence.
“The one inning where they tie it and Johnny Long is 0-2 and works a walk, then obviously Dakota hits the eyedropper, which is nice, I thought,” Lemonis said of the strong fifth inning. “And Dakota is at bat with the two-out hit to right that really opened that ballgame up. And he’d really fallen behind that at-bat, too. Like I said, there’s just a lot of confidence right now, and they’re just passing it along to the next guy.”
The Bulldogs are on the road for each of the next two weekends, so fans will certainly enjoy the historic series win to open SEC play at home. Trips to College Station and Gainesville will help gauge where MSU are as a team, but if the last weekend is any indication this team is ready to put the last two seasons behind them.
The confidence Lemonis spoke of was evident throughout the weekend, including in the 9-8 game two loss. The Bulldogs fell short in a comeback after falling behind 9-1 in the first three innings but kept their heads, and by the ninth inning, every one of the 13,974 people at Dudy Noble Field believed what the Bulldogs had believed the entire game.
The Bulldogs have grit and swagger, both important for teams with ambition, but they also have proof now that they can hang with the best in college baseball at the moment. In fact, they have proof now that they can demolish the best in college baseball when they’re playing at their best.
That’s an expectation at The Dude, and one this team can abide.
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