STARKVILLE — It wasn’t the fact his team got run-ruled again, the second time in three games, that had Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis most frustrated after Saturday night’s 14-2, seven-inning defeat to No. 6 Arkansas.
In this case, it was the Bulldogs’ defensive miscues that their head coach looking for answers.
“The biggest disappointment is we dropped five fly balls,” Lemonis said following Saturday night’s loss, MSU’s sixth straight in Southeastern Conference play. “I don’t know how that happens. We will have to practice it more. Right now as we are trying to get this thing going, getting our offense going, getting our pitching staff going, we let five fly balls land. It is very disappointing.”
Along with two of Arkansas’ first four runs scoring on a failed diving attempt by center fielder Colton Ledbetter in the second inning of Saturday night’s game, three more of its 14 runs were directly related to a pair of outfield errors you would expect to see on a high school baseball field, rather than at Duty Noble Field.
Already holding a 5-0 lead in the third, the Razorbacks added two more runs when Kendall Diggs’ hit out to left field found grass because Ledbetter and left fielder Dakota Jordan collided.
That lead grew to 8-0 when Peyton Holt singled in Mason Neville, who was only standing on second because his blooper to shallow center also went uncaught when shortstop David Mershon ran into second baseman Amani Larry.
“We had some miscommunication,” Jordan said following the game. “I am sure Mershon and Amani had it, too. It was just a tough day at the ballpark.”
There have been many of those for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons, but especially over the past month when it looked like they had turned a corner with back-to-back series wins over Alabama and Ole Miss.
Then came the Sunday afternoon collapse at Auburn. Then the sweep at Tennessee. Scott Foxhall got fired. And now MSU is a Sunday afternoon loss tomorrow (1 p.m./SEC+) from getting swept again.
“It’s fallen real quick,” Lemonis said. “It’s fallen real quick. That is on me. And this program shouldn’t be where we are at right now.”
Where MSU is at is now on the outside-looking-in for any sort of postseason play, including the SEC Tournament, which only takes the top-12 conference records, and searching for answers everywhere on the diamond at the wrong time of the year.
MSU’s pitching took another step back with starter Landon Gartman allowing four runs in 1 2/3 innings of work, walking four and hitting a batter. Lemonis said he noticed Gartman lose velocity in the second inning after a clean first frame, then he lost command of the strike zone. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff, which included relievers Evan Siary, Colby Holcombe and Tyler Davis, allowed four homers and eight walks in the game.
Its offense didn’t have a hit from anyone outside of Ledbetter in the series until Luke Hancock’s single in the fifth, which was followed up by a two-run homer from Jordan the next inning.
Now, there are defensive miscues that signal a lack of focus, something the Bulldogs can’t afford this late in the season.
“…Our job as ball players and coaches is to show up and give our best effort every day, be mentally in the moment and be ready to play,” Lemonis said. “Obviously I didn’t do a good job in preparing them today.
“We are in a stretch right now where we are playing our last (three) series against good teams, so you have to have good effort, and we are just not giving a good enough effort.”
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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