8th inning rally helps the Diamond Dawgs cruise past Southern University 5-0

The Mississippi State Bulldogs squared off last night against the Southern Jaguars in a midweek non-conference game. Denver McQuary drew the start for the Bulldogs and gave up two hits on zero runs in two innings of work. MSU used a total of eight pitchers in this contest.

Overall, I thought the pitching was okay. I understand the talent difference between these two schools. Southern University got more hits than I would have liked to give up; they had a total of five hits on the night. It seemed like we wanted to give a lot of guys some work on the mound, so most of the middle relief guys pitched one inning.

The real frustration of the night was with the offense. Southern University sat down MSU's first nine batters. Until, Jake Mangum doubled on a line drive in the bottom of the 4th, and Tanner Allen drove him in later in the inning.

In the bottom of the 8th, Justin Foscue lead off the inning with a walk. Next, Marshall Gilbert singled to put runners in the corners for the Bulldogs. An RBI single then gave the Dawgs a 2-0 lead over Southern University. Then, Jake Mangum gets hit by pitch to load the bases. A wild pitch helps score another run with the Dawgs up 3-0. Luke Alexander is walked, and he helps reload the bases to make way for another Tanner Allen RBI allowing the Dawgs to extend their lead 4-0. Another wild pitch gave the Dawgs a 5-0 lead heading into the 9th.

This was a much needed win for a very young team in front of a home crowd. I am still not sure how many winnable games are left on the schedule, but I do know that there is a lot of young talent to carry us into the years to come.

What's Next?

The Diamond Dawgs get set to host in-state rival Ole Miss this weekend at the New Dude in Starkville.

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