STARKVILLE — By the time the seventh inning ended Tuesday night, Josh Hatcher had already given the Mississippi State baseball team two doubles and a single, with two runs driven in, and an extra baserunner with a walk, all while playing an errorless first base.
Still, MSU interim coach Gary Henderson would need more. Henderson asked Hatcher to pitch; neither hesitated.
After joining second baseman Hunter Stovall as one of two Bulldogs with four hits in the game, Hatcher pitched the final two innings in scoreless fashion, allowing one hit and striking out four as MSU (11-10) beat Alcorn State 17-1. With another game against Texas Southern 6:30 p.m. today before a weekend series at Missouri, Hatcher’s ability to relieve the pitching staff in special situations in crucial.
“Going into the game that was certainly an option when you have 18 innings in two days,” Henderson said. “I was certainly glad when he got out there that he had all three pitches for strikes, got some punchouts and enabled us to keep one of our guys available and fresh for tomorrow.
“It’s beneficial, no question. He’s a really talented kid and having guys like that that haven’t been on the mound in four or five weeks and throw three pitches for strikes is pretty rare. He obviously had a nice day at the plate; positive day for Josh.”
Hatcher said Henderson first approached him about pitching in that game in the bottom of the seventh; Hatcher was on the mound to start the eighth. Clearly a .333 hitter 78 at-bats into his freshman season isn’t able to dedicate too much time and resources to pitching, but Hatcher has a system to make it work.
“I’m always ready. I’ve been throwing the whole game, so it is what it is,” Hatcher said. “I threw a lot in high school. It’s just having the ability to focus one pitch at a time. It’s something Coach Henderson talks about a lot and that’s something you have to do, from defense to pitching to hitting.”
Hatcher’s pitching came after the season debut for sophomore lefty Kale Breaux, who threw one scoreless inning with one walk and one hit batsman. Henderson applauded Breaux’s ability to rebound from seven consecutive balls, one of them being the pitch that hit the batter, to strikeout three batters and end the inning.
It all came in relief of starting pitcher Zach Neff (2-2), who threw four scoreless innings with four hits, no walks and two strikeouts. Most importantly, Neff did it all in 56 pitches.
“That’s exactly what we want. He’ll be available to come in late (in a game against Missouri), and we designed it that way,” Henderson said.
Henderson also said to expect a similar setup in today’s game against Texas Southern; seven or eight pitchers are available to throw short stints, thus getting it through the game but keeping them available for the Missouri series.
Five Bulldogs had two hits against Alcorn State (6-13): center fielder Jake Mangum, shortstop Luke Alexander, right fielder Hunter Vansau, catcher Marshall Gilbert and third baseman Jordan Westburg, who was making his first start of the season. Left fielder Jordan Anderson also made his first start of the season.
Alexander and Vansau drove in three runs each on their two hits; Gilbert drove in four. Gilbert and Alexander hit home runs while Mangum and Vansau added triples.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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