STARKVILLE, Miss., - No. 5 Mississippi State wasted little time making a point that its offense was much improved this season.

The Bulldogs erupted for 11 runs in their first three at bats Friday afternoon and destroying Portland 16-1 in the season opener.

"I thought we swung the bat really well today," said MSU skipper John Cohen. "It's so important for guys to get off to a great start. Confidence in baseball is a huge thing and getting hits early in your at bats is very important. That happened for us and we're very fortunate."

The Diamond Dogs totaled 21 hits in the opener with 12 different players including eight starters collecting knocks. Five different players drove in at least one run.

"The question this offseason was our offense," said sophomore first baseman Wes Rea. "We were playing a good team and came out swinging the bats. Our bats were hot in game one and hopefully it will carry over."

Catcher Mitch Slauter led the way for State at the plate with a career-high 4-for-6 performance. Slauter had three singles and a ground-rule double while driving in a pair.



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