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Mississippi State
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Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Diamond Dawgs Earn Series Victory Over Air Force
February 18, 2024 | Baseball
The Bulldog pitching staff combined for 16 strikeouts in the series' final game.
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State baseball team won their first series of the 2024 season on Sunday afternoon after defeating Air Force, 10-2. The Diamond Dawgs used a five-run fifth inning to pull away from the Falcons.
After taking a lead of 7-2 after five innings of play, the Dawgs tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The bullpen for MSU was outstanding in the game, as they only allowed Air Force two hits over the final four innings of play.
Junior Hunter Hines led the team at the plate in the victory. He was 3-for-5 in the contest with an RBI single and a double on the day. Dakota Jordan recorded his second home run of the weekend with a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to plate Mississippi State's eighth and ninth runs.
Jurrangelo Cijntje got the start on the bump. Cijntje put in 4.0 innings of work to punch out eight, one short of his career-high and allowed just two hits. Tyson Hardin came in during the fifth and allowed a single run on two hits through 1.0 innings pitched to earn his first win of the season.
Tyler Davis, Karson Ligon, Luke Dotson, and Gavin Black all pitched an inning of relief for the Dawgs. Each player had at least one strikeout on the day, while Black struck out three to close the game in the ninth inning.
The Diamond Dawgs are back at Dudy Noble Field for a pair of midweek contests against Austin Peay on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT and Wednesday at 4 p.m. MSU hosts Georgia Southern for a three-game set starting Friday following the midweek action. The Dawgs and Eagles will meet at 4 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday, with all games airing on SEC Network Plus.
Scoring Summary
Bottom 3
A single by Bryce Chance brought in Dakota Jordan to plate the Dawgs first run. An RBI single from Connor Hujsak brought in Hunter Hines.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 0
Top 4
With runners on first and second, Aerik Joe brought in Jay Thomason with an RBI single for Air Force's first run.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 1
Top 5
A ground out from Sam Kulasingam scored a run for Air Force.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 2
Bottom 5
A single to right field from Hunter Hines scored Dakota Jordan. A single from Chance plated Hines. Chance scored on a wild pitch and a single by Johnny Long brought in Jackson McKenzie and Nate Chester.
Mississippi State 7, Air Force 2
Bottom 6
Two-run homer by Dakota Jordan plated Amani Larry. Hines scored on a ground out from Hujsak.
Mississippi State 10, Air Force 2
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.
After taking a lead of 7-2 after five innings of play, the Dawgs tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The bullpen for MSU was outstanding in the game, as they only allowed Air Force two hits over the final four innings of play.
Junior Hunter Hines led the team at the plate in the victory. He was 3-for-5 in the contest with an RBI single and a double on the day. Dakota Jordan recorded his second home run of the weekend with a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to plate Mississippi State's eighth and ninth runs.
Jurrangelo Cijntje got the start on the bump. Cijntje put in 4.0 innings of work to punch out eight, one short of his career-high and allowed just two hits. Tyson Hardin came in during the fifth and allowed a single run on two hits through 1.0 innings pitched to earn his first win of the season.
Tyler Davis, Karson Ligon, Luke Dotson, and Gavin Black all pitched an inning of relief for the Dawgs. Each player had at least one strikeout on the day, while Black struck out three to close the game in the ninth inning.
The Diamond Dawgs are back at Dudy Noble Field for a pair of midweek contests against Austin Peay on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT and Wednesday at 4 p.m. MSU hosts Georgia Southern for a three-game set starting Friday following the midweek action. The Dawgs and Eagles will meet at 4 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday, with all games airing on SEC Network Plus.
Scoring Summary
Bottom 3
A single by Bryce Chance brought in Dakota Jordan to plate the Dawgs first run. An RBI single from Connor Hujsak brought in Hunter Hines.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 0
Top 4
With runners on first and second, Aerik Joe brought in Jay Thomason with an RBI single for Air Force's first run.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 1
Top 5
A ground out from Sam Kulasingam scored a run for Air Force.
Mississippi State 2, Air Force 2
Bottom 5
A single to right field from Hunter Hines scored Dakota Jordan. A single from Chance plated Hines. Chance scored on a wild pitch and a single by Johnny Long brought in Jackson McKenzie and Nate Chester.
Mississippi State 7, Air Force 2
Bottom 6
Two-run homer by Dakota Jordan plated Amani Larry. Hines scored on a ground out from Hujsak.
Mississippi State 10, Air Force 2
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hardin, Tyson (1-0)
L: Ben Weber (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Sam Kulasingam 1 ; Aerik Joe 1
SH: T.J. Oster 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jay Thomason 1 ; Walker Zapp 1
SB: Jay Thomason 1 ; T.J. Oster 1
HBP: T.J. Oster 1
PO: Chase Spencer 1
Batting:
2B: Larry, Amani 1 ; Jordan, Dakota 1 ; Hines, Hunter 1
HR: Jordan, Dakota 1
RBI: Jordan, Dakota 2 ; Hines, Hunter 1 ; Chance, Bryce 1 ; Hujsak, Connor 2 ; Long, Johnny 2
SH: Long, Johnny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Larry, Amani 1 ; Jordan, Dakota 3 ; Hines, Hunter 3 ; Chance, Bryce 1 ; McKenzie, Jackson 1 ; Chester, Nate 1
HBP: Long, Johnny 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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OF
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INF
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BHP
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LHP
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INF/LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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C
/ Baseball
INF/OF/LHP
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