It took 29 innings but Mississippi State (19-11, 3-6 SEC) finally got one across the plate en route to a 3-1 victory over Auburn on Sunday. After leaving the bases loaded in the 1st, it seemed like the scoreless streak was destined to endure. However, a John Holland solo home run with one out in the 2nd got the Bulldogs on the board.
On the mound, the Bulldogs had an excellent day. Starter Vance Tatum threw 4 2/3 allowing only three hits and a run on a solo homer. He was replaced by Trevor Fitts who finished the game with 4 1/3 innings, only allowing a hit and no runs. The Bulldog hurlers did a sensational job of keeping the Auburn hitters off-balance all day long. It was especially nice to see Trevor Fitts back out on the mound and producing for the Bulldogs. Fitts got off to a tough start this year and hasn’t had many opportunities to pitch this season. For the Bulldogs to have success, they really need Fitts to be that senior, solid arm out of the bullpen.
At the plate, it was a joyous occasion as Mississippi State scored their first runs of the week. John Holland had a heck of a game going 3-for-4 with a homer to snap the scoreless streak. Wes Rea also had a very nice day going 2-for-4 with his first career triple driving in one of the runs. I thought throughout the lineup today a lot of balls were hit hard and the approach at the plate was improved. There was almost no bunting in today’s game, which was a surprise. The hitting was improved today but it remains to be seen if it will carry over.
Overall, it was nice to get some, even if not many, runs on the board and get a victory. The key will be to take today’s success on the mound and at the plate and carry it over into next week’s slate. Last weekend, the Bulldogs unloaded on offense against Kentucky in the Sunday ballgame but obviously did not carry it over into this weekend. It was a very big disappointment to drop a very winnable series at home this weekend. The Bulldogs have dug themselves a hole going forward, but I firmly believe they can get out of it. With the scoreless streak snapped, let’s hope today was the start of the turnaround. The Bulldogs next game will be Tuesday night as Mississippi State will travel to Mobile before returning home for an SEC series with South Carolina on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.