Mississippi State opened its West Coast swing Friday with a 4-0 loss to Long Beach State in California.
With JT Ginn still sidelined due to arm soreness, the Bulldogs turned to graduate transfer Carlisle Koestler on the mound.
In response, Koestler retired 14 straight batters between the second and sixth innings. Heading into the seventh, the former Southeast Louisiana as hurler finally relented, allowing two runs on two hits before being yanked for senior David Dunlavey.
Thrust into relief, Dunlavey and former East Mississippi Community College product Jaxen Forrester combined for 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits and striking out two.
Offensively, the Bulldogs bats fell silent in the Golden State. Mustering just a single hit on the night courtesy of a single by freshman Tanner Leggett, MSU finished the contest with just four base runners.
Struggling to find contact on LBSU starter Adam Seminaris, the junior southpaw tossed eight innings of one-hit ball, striking out 10.
The Dirtbags and Bulldogs return to action Saturday for game two of their three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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