State gets ‘angry' to beat Auburn
Jordan Westburg didn't shy away from it.
After Mississippi State blew a 5-0 lead on Friday night, Westburg admitted MSU started out Saturday angry. Similar to the opponents of Dr. Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, Auburn didn't like the Bulldogs when they were angry.
No. 2 MSU exploded for five runs in the first inning and later continued the onslaught on the way to a 15-2 victory over the No. 12 Tigers. The fuel for the blowout win, Westburg said, was the disappointment of Friday.
“We understand that losing is a part of baseball, but we were (ticked) off about the loss Friday night,” Westburg said. “I think that was our mindset coming into (Saturday's) game was to let (Auburn) know. Let them know that wasn't our best baseball Friday, even though we played well, and that we could come out and make it a new game.”
Indeed, MSU (21-3, 3-2) wrote a much different ending to their story against Auburn (20-3, 4-1) on Saturday than what was written on Friday. Things began in much the same way though.
After State scored four runs in the first inning on Friday, it knocked around Auburn starter Carson Skipper on Saturday as the freshman lefty recorded only two outs. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, scored five times on five hits and a pair of Auburn errors in the first.
From there, a familiar script looked to start unfolding. On Friday, MSU struggled to find add-on runs after its big first inning. That was again an issue in the second, third and fourth innings on Saturday. State had the bases loaded with one out in the second when Dustin Skelton grounded into an inning-ending double play. In the third, MSU loaded the bases with two outs but couldn't cash in. The Bulldogs were then retired in order in the fourth.
“It played out a lot like (Friday) night,” Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said. “In the first few innings, we left some guys on.
“In the second and third, we left some guys on, but we were still having great at-bats.”
Eventually, those solid at-bats turned into more offensive firepower. Westburg fueled the charge.
In the fifth, Westburg delivered a two-run single to give MSU a 7-1 lead. In the seventh inning, Westburg came through again with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-1.
Auburn plated a run of its own to make it 8-2 in the top of the eighth, but in the home half, the Bulldogs put the game away. In the bottom of the frame, Mississippi State scored seven times. Westburg was again right in the mix. He blasted a 409-foot, line-drive solo home run to left-centerfield in the rally.
Westburg finished the day 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and five RBI. Apparently, the rage coming as a result of Friday's loss served him well.
“He's a big, strong, physical kid,” Lemonis said of Westburg. “He puts the ball in play and his exit (velocities off the bat) are usually 100 (miles per hour) to 110 about every time he hits it. I just need him to hit it more often.”
Plenty of others licked their Friday wounds with big days at the plate on Saturday. Jake Mangum had a four-hit day. Rowdey Jordan and Gunner Halter both had three hits each. Eight of MSU'S nine starters had at least one hit as the Bulldogs notched 20 as a team.
All the offense allowed Mississippi State starting pitcher JT Ginn to coast. The true freshman right-hander, who has now won all six of his starts this year, was brilliant on Saturday as he's been all season long.