Baseball Secures Series Win Over Oregon State on Saturday

STARKVILLE, MS - FEBRUARY 22, 2020 - The Mississippi State Bulldogs during the game between Oregon State and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. Photo By Taylor Fikes

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Baseball Secures Series Win Over Oregon State on Saturday

February 22, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score (PDF)Quotes (WEB)Photo Gallery (WEB)

Hatcher homers, MacLeod strikes out seven in series-clinching win over Beavers

by: Greg Campbell, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Another picture perfect day at Dudy Noble Field ended with a 7-4 victory for the Mississippi State baseball program over Oregon State and secured its second series victory of the 2020 campaign in front of the 20th largest crowd in program history.

A February-record 12,034 fans watched as Mississippi State (5-0) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings. Oregon State (2-4) got a pair of runs back in the top of the fourth, but the Diamond Dawgs answered with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. A seventh MSU run crossed the plate in the seventh, before a two-run OSU home run in the ninth capped the scoring.

Redshirt-freshman Christian MacLeod (2-0) threw five innings and struck out seven to earn his second straight win of the season. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits and walked one. Freshman Will Bednar tossed the next three innings scoreless with five punch outs, before junior Chase Patrick gave up a pair of runs in one inning of work with one strikeout.

In all, the MSU pitching staff scattered eight hits, walked three and allowed four runs on the day. Oregon State out-hit Mississippi State, 8-7, but the Beavers pitching staff walked 11 and hit two batters in the game.

Junior Josh Hatcher and sophomore Brandon Pimentel each pitched in one hit, scored one run and drove in two RBIs in the game. Pimentel was on base three times, drawing two of MSU's 11 walks on the afternoon and added an RBI single in the first inning to start the scoring. Hatcher hit the seventh home run of his career and first of the season, while also plating an RBI with a bases loaded walk.

Junior Rowdey Jordan was 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored to move his hitting streak to seven games, while junior Jordan Westburg moved his reached base streak to 25 games with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Junior Tanner Allen made a pinch hit appearance and pushed his reached base streak to 23 games with a hit-by-pitch in the fourth inning.

Junior Justin Foscue and sophomore Landon Jordan were each on base three times in the second game of the series with OSU. Landon Jordan chipped in a pair of hits, walked and scored a run, and Foscue walked twice, singled, drove in one RBI and scored one run.

The top four batters in the Oregon State lineup contributed all four of the runs and seven of the eight hits in the game. Alex McGarry delivered two of those hits and scored twice, including the ninth-inning, two-run home run. On the mound, Jake Pfinnigs (1-1) took the loss with 1 2/3 innings of work and four runs allowed in the start.

Quotables
Head Coach Chris Lemonis
On winning the series on Saturday
"I think it lets a little bit of pressure off. It lets you play a little freer [on Sunday]. I thought Christian MacLeod came in right after [we took the lead] and pitched great and kind of settled into the game. It was a big crowd…especially for some of our young guys like Christian. It's probably the biggest crowd he's ever pitched in front of. So, he settled in and pitched really well, but our offense and what we can do and grinding out some at-bats, I thought was huge early in the game."

Redshirt-Freshman Christian MacLeod
On his mindset pitching in front of 12,000 fans
"I just got out there and tried to establish my three pitches. I didn't really think about the crowd, but it is really great to have them out there. I was really just focusing on the mitt, trying to throw strikes, get the batters out, and get back into the dugout so we can swing the sticks."

Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Rowdey Jordan walked to start the inning and moved to second after a Jordan Westburg free pass. A pair of outs followed, before Brandon Pimentel plated the first run of the game with a single through the left side of the infield.
Mississippi State 1, Oregon State 0

Bottom Second
Landon Jordan walked to start the frame, before a strikeout and flyout provided the first two outs for Oregon State starting pitcher Jake Pfinnigs. A Rowdey Jordan single was followed by a hit-by-pitch to Westburg to load the bases. Three straight bases loaded walks followed, as Josh Hatcher, Justin Foscue and Pimentel all produced RBIs with their free passes.
Mississippi State 4, Oregon State 0

Top Fourth
Oregon State put the first four batters on base against Christian MacLeod, with three straight singles to start the frame. Troy Claunch drove in the first RBI with his base hit, before Jake Harvey loaded the bases with a walk. J.D. McLaughlin then plated the second run with a sacrifice fly.
Mississippi State 4, Oregon State 2

Bottom Fourth
Hatcher wasted no time in getting MSU back on the board with a leadoff home run to left field. A Foscue single was followed by two strikeouts, before Landon Jordan singled and Logan Tanner walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Tanner Allen was hit by a pitch to push the second run of the inning across.
Mississippi State 6, Oregon State 2

Bottom Sixth
The 11th walk of the game put Pimentel on base to start the frame. A pair of groundouts moved him to third before Logan Tanner plated the final run of the game for the Maroon and White.
Mississippi State 7, Oregon State 2

Top Ninth
After reliver Chase Patrick retired the leadoff hitter, before Kyler McMahan singled. Alex McGarry followed with his second home run of the season to right field.
Mississippi State 7, Oregon State 4

Up Next
Mississippi State and Oregon State close out the three-game series with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, February 23.