Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis was watching the fireworks.
Wandering into the Omaha Room at Dudy Noble Field later than usual Thursday night, Lemonis said he was taking in the postgame festivities following No. 2 MSU’s 6-5 win over No. 17 LSU.
While the exploding rockets shot out from behind the batter’s eye in center field after the final out, it was sophomore infielder Jordan Westburg who helped entertain fans ahead of the show.
Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Westburg’s double to the right-center gap gave the Diamond Dawgs an all-important insurance run en route to a 2-for-5 night.
And though he brought the noise in the batter’s box, it was his suspect fielding that required it.
Leading 6-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Westburg booted a simple pop-up to put LSU first baseman Cade Beloso on base.
Three batters later, he moved to his right as a Josh Smith pop-up tailed toward the foul line.
Tracking the ball, Westburg lost sight of sophomore left fielder Rowdey Jordan.
As Westburg ducked under him, Jordan was forced to reach over his teammate, dropping the ball and giving LSU a bases-loaded situation.
“Just miscommunication,” Westburg said. “Nobody was talking. That’s something I’ve got to be better at as a shortstop.”
He was at it again just one frame later.
On a bouncer up the middle, Westburg and junior infielder Gunner Halter sprinted toward the second base gap.
Westburg then stopped short, allowing the ball to squirt into center field. This time LSU took advantage — scoring three runs on two hits, cutting the score to 6-5.
Thanks to ever-reliable redshirt senior reliever Cole Gordon — who tossed 1.1 innings, striking out three — the runs were rendered harmless, but the sentiment remains.
Westburg’s eight errors lead the team 27 games into the season. Further, Thursday’s miscues quite nearly cost the Diamond Dawgs an all-important win over a ranked SEC foe.
So while Westburg continues to swing the bat at an absurd rate — he has 10 hits and 13 RBIs in the past four games — the errors are a concern.
“It’s just something we’ve got to be better at as a team, I’ve got to be better at as a shortstop,” he said.
DIAMOND NOTES: Sophomore infielder Justin Foscue earned his first multi-home run game with a three-run shot in the third inning and the second of back-to-back long balls in the fifth.
Senior outfielder Elijah MacNamee hit the front end of the back-to-back homers, cranking one down the left field line.
Starting pitcher Ethan Small was stellar in five innings of work. The lefty gave up two runs on three hits and struck out 10.
“His command is always so good, and he really threw that breaking ball for strikes tonight,” Lemonis said. “He hadn’t had to use it a lot, but with all these left-handed hitters, he commanded his breaking ball and his changeup.”
Game two of the three-game set against the Tigers has a first pitch of 6 p.m. Friday.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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Elijah MacNamee makes contact for a home run Thursday night against LSU at Dudy Noble Field. Photo by: Chris McDill/Special to The Dispatch
