Bulldogs start strong with upset of the Hogs
MSU rallies for an upset of Arkansas
Super Bulldog Weekend couldn’t be off to a better start for Mississippi State.
It’s in large part thanks to a trio of unlikely heroes.
MSU rallied from a 5-0 deficit to top No. 3 Arkansas 6-5 on Friday night at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs used a dominant relief performance from J.P. France and clutch two-out hits from Jordan Westburg and Elijah MacNamee to shock the Razorbacks.
“That’s a good day,” MSU interim head coach Gary Henderson said moments after the win. “That’s probably the funnest game we’ve had since (winning the regional) down in Hattiesburg last June.”
On a night when Mississippi State ace Konnor Pilkington didn’t have his best stuff, his teammates picked up the slack. Pilkington lasted just five innings and surrendered nine hits, all five Arkansas runs and three walks. The big blow against Pilkington came when Arkansas’ Eric Cole drilled a grand slam in the second inning that put the Razorbacks up 4-0.
“(Pilkington) didn’t have his best rhythm,” Henderson said. “Obviously the fastball was up. He left some soft stuff up early on. It’s probably the first time all year that his curveball has been squared up. He just wasn’t as sharp.
“That’s just the way it goes at every level of baseball. That happens.”
Pilkington surrendered his final run in the fifth before giving way to France in the sixth.
France kept the Bulldogs in the ballgame. The right-hander threw a season-high four innings and didn’t allow a baserunner. He struck out nine of the 12 batters he faced.
“That’s the best outing I’ve had since I’ve been here,” France said. “I kind of went on autopilot. Everything was just working.
“It’s the best I’ve felt all year too. All my stuff was working and it was just a good day all around.”
With France holding the Razorbacks down, the Bulldogs scratched and clawed their way back into the game. The comeback started in the bottom of the sixth. After Rowdey Jordan started the inning with a leadoff bunt single, Jake Mangum walked. Luke Alexander then followed with his sixth home run of the season, a threerun blast into the Left Field Lounge.
Still, State had work to do. The Bulldogs
went to the bottom of the eighth trailing 5-3. Mangum and Alexander began the frame with back-to-back walks. Tanner Allen followed with a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Following a Hunter Stovall strikeout, Jordan Westburg stepped to the plate and slapped a two-out, game-tying single into left field and then took second on an error.
“(Arkansas pitcher Matt Cronin) started me off with two low fastballs and I chased both of them,” Westburg said. “I think I was a little sped up. At that point in the at-bat, you just have to take a deep breath, then he gave me a fastball over the plate and I put a good barrel on it and saw it through.
“It was crazy. It’s a moment to never forget for the rest of life. Being at Super Bulldog Weekend against Arkansas and tying the game up, it was awesome.”
The heroics didn’t stop with Westburg. After Justin Foscue walked, MacNamee stepped to the plate. Despite striking out in his three previous at-bats in the game, MacNamee delivered the go-ahead run with a single to left. All of a sudden, the Bulldogs had the lead and they wouldn’t relinquish it.
“When I went up there, I knew I didn’t need to do too much,” MacNamee said. “I’d been trying to do too much. I had to go do something to help the team win and just hit the ball hard.
“I went up there and thought, ‘I’m a lot better than what I’ve been. Let’s show it.’ First pitch, I saw it, hit it, scored the run and about blacked out when I got to first.”
France retired the Razorbacks in order in the ninth to lock down the win for MSU to get Super Bulldog Weekend off and running with a bang. State can make the weekend even better with a big day today as MSU looks to win just its second Southeastern Conference series of the year.
The Bulldogs and Razorbacks will now conclude their set with a doubleheader starting at noon after Sunday’s game was bumped up a day due to impending rainy weather.
Momentum can be fleeting in baseball, but it’s safe to say MSU is carrying it into today’s games after a memorable Friday night.
“Just really proud of these guys and this effort to be down five and keep going and give themselves a chance,” Henderson said. “It was special.”