Starkville, MS- In the most attended game of the season with 14,228 fans in the seats, the Bulldogs fell short to #19 LSU 4-3 as missed opportunities plagued them.
LSU got off to a 3-run lead right off the bat as Parker Stinnett allowed an infield single and a walk to the first two LSU batters. All-American 3rd baseman made him pay, and blasted a 3-run shot to right-center. After another walk and another single, Stinnett was taken out of the ballgame after just two-thirds of an inning, and Brandon Smith got the Bulldogs out of it.
R.J. Yeager, who moved into the leadoff spot today, got the Bulldogs back into it, hitting a home run to left on the first pitch thrown by LSU starter Blake Money. A pair of singles by Kamren James and Luke Hancock put State in position for more, and Kellum Clark knocked one in as the LSU 2nd baseman couldn't track a popup in shallow left.
Despite Stinnett's rough start Brandon Smith pitched a heck of a ballgame to keep Mississippi State in the ballgame. The Richland, MS native pitched six innings in relief and allowed just one LSU run, a solo homer by shortstop Jordan Thompson in the sixth inning.
"We knew we were going to go to Brandon if Parker wasn't good," said Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Lemonis. "He just kept the ball down. He settled in and was really good."
Kamren James led off the fifth inning with a solo homer, but the theme of the game for the Bulldogs was leaving runners on base. Singles from Luke Hancock and Logan Tanner gave the Bulldogs an opportunity with no outs, and Tanner reached 2nd on a ball in the dirt. State needed just a ball in play to drive in a run, but back-to-back strikeouts from Kellum Clark and Von Seibert prevented that from happening. With the open base at first, LSU would pitch around Brad Cumbest, and he'd draw a walk, bringing up Matt Corder, who pinch-hit for Brayland Skinner, and he struck out to end the inning.
That fifth inning pretty much sums up how the past two games have gone for the Bulldogs, as they were a combined 1-15 at the plate with runners in scoring position today and left eight runners on base in last night's loss.
Freshman Pico Kohn gave the Bulldogs a chance with a shutout final 2.1 innings, but the LSU bullpen was just as dominant, preventing any Mississippi State runs.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 4-7 in the SEC, tied for last in the west with Ole Miss, and means they have dropped 13 of the last 15 series to LSU. Cade Smith will take the mound tomorrow as they'll try to avoid a sweep.
