STARKVILLE – The sounds of gameday filled the air inside of Polk-Dement Stadium, as the No. 9 Mississippi State baseball program opened the 2020 season with a 9-6 victory over Wright State on Friday (Feb. 14) afternoon on Dudy Noble Field.
The Diamond Dawgs (1-0) took an early 2-0 lead, before the Raiders (0-1) answered back with five straight runs to make it 5-3 after the top of the fifth inning. A single MSU run in the sixth made it a one-run game, 5-4, before a six-run sixth gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. Wright State loaded the bases in the ninth inning with no outs, before junior Jared Shemper got the final three outs to seal the victory.
Two Diamond Dawgs made their first career starts for the Maroon and White, while eight total newcomers saw the field on Opening Day. Freshman Kamren James and sophomore Brandon Pimentel each earned starting nods in the field, and Logan Tanner caught the final six innings in his MSU debut. James was able to collect his first career hit, a second-inning single.
On the mound, graduate student Carlisle Koestler, junior Chase Patrick, junior Jaxen Forrester, freshman Landon Sims and Shemper each made their debuts for the Dawgs. Patrick (1-0) picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief, while Shemper (1) picked up his first career save, allowing just one of three inherited runners to score in the ninth inning.
It was a good day for the top and bottom of the order, as freshly-minted leadoff hitter junior Rowdey Jordan chipped in two hits, scored two runs and drove in two RBIs. Nine-hole hitter sophomore Landon Jordan chipped in two hits and walked twice to reach base in all four at bats. James chipped in a pair of hits, as well, while Josh Hatcher reached base three times – including a double – and scored two runs.
The quartet of Rowdey Jordan, Jordan Westburg, Tanner Allen and Justin Foscue all extended reached base streaks that span from the 2019 season. Allen reached via walk in the game to move his reached base streak to a career-long 22 games, however his 14-game hitting streak came to an end.
Westburg moved his hitting streak to career-long nine games and his reached base streak to a career-best 21 contests. Rowdey Jordan moved his reached base streak to 10 games and Foscue moved his to six straight games on base.
Sophomore JT Ginn threw three innings in the start, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out four in the no decision.
Quotables
Head Coach Chris Lemonis
On Rowdey Jordan filling the leadoff role
“[Rowdey] was good. He had that big hit, which I thought he had a chance to get it earlier in the game. He’s a gritty player. That [hit] got us going. We had been waiting for that ball all day long. We had some pretty productive innings early and didn’t really take advantage of them, so to be able to get that going was huge.”
On the relief pitching
“For a lot of those guys it was their very first time out there. I thought Jared Shemper coming into that jam and closing it out was huge. He’s going to be a big piece for us. Landon Sims, I don’t know if he’s walked a guy all preseason and then he goes out there and does that. He’s going to go right back out there, though. He’s one of the better pitchers in the country, so we’re excited. I thought Jaxen Forrester was very good and Chase Patrick was good…I thought overall that our group competed.”
