Mississippi State baseball falls to LSU 3-1, as bats fail to come alive for the Bulldogs on Thursday night in Dudy Noble Field.
Tonight did not go as planned for #13 Mississippi State (34-20, 17-11 SEC) against the #6 LSU Tigers (37-17, 19-9 SEC). The Bulldogs ended up falling 3-1 in the contest. Ryan Gridley delivered a lead off homer in the bottom of the first, but it was all LSU from then on out.
Alex Lange got the start for LSU and was simply phenomenal all night long. Lange went seven innings and allowed six hits, five walks, and struck out eleven on the night. Lange got into a bases loaded jam in the sixth and seventh, but was able to work around trouble time and time again. Zach Hess and Hunter Newman came in in the eighth and ninth to shutdown the Bulldogs attempt at a rally by not allowing a hit.
Konnor Pilkington got the start for Mississippi State, going six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and walked four. Pilkington struggled to find a very tight strike zone early in the ballgame, and gave up what seemed like a 3-2 count to nearly every batter. LSU was able to load the bases in the top of the fourth with no outs, and were able to plate two in the inning on a sac fly and RBI single, giving them a 2-1 lead. Peyton Plumlee came in to relieve Pilkington in the seventh, where he went three inning giving up one run on two hits.
The Bulldogs had a few chances in the sixth and seventh to tie or take the lead, but couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it most. The Dawgs loaded the bases in the sixth with just one out, but a strikeout from Poole and a fly out from Stovall ended the inning. After two walks in the seventh, State loaded the bases, but Lange was able to respond and struck out Lovelady looking on three pitches ending the inning.
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Mississippi State will look to even the series tomorrow night at 6:30 on SECN+. The Bulldogs still have a shot at a share of the SEC west title if they are able to win the next two and Texas A&M can take at least one from Arkansas.