Comeback by Mississippi State brings to mind Berra’s words
Yogi Berra once said, “it ain't over till it's over.” There may be some bad grammar in that statement, but there's truth all over those words.
Even when a situation looks its bleakest, there is hope in a close baseball game for a team to avoid a loss before the final out is recorded.
There wasn't a better example of that than what took place at Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs defeated the Oregon State Beavers 6-2 in a game where the home team was shut down for seven innings.
Oregon State starting pitcher Christian Chamberlain
had MSU'S number through five innings with 12 strikeouts and only two hits given up. The Bulldogs couldn't get a runner beyond second base against Chamberlain.
Through 5.1 innings, Chamberlain was up to 85 pitches and the Beavers elected not to let him work any more. On as cold of a day as it was, you can't blame the Oregon State coaching staff for pulling him.
After Reid Sebby got a pair of outs to finish out the sixth, Cooper Hjerpe and Will Frisch ran into trouble. They each gave up three runs on three hits in the eighth inning.
Pitching kept MSU in the game and it was only down 2-0 going to the bottom of the eighth inning.
Rowdey Jordan made up for three strikeouts in his previous at-bats for the Bulldogs with a leadoff single to get the rally started. Jordan Westburg doubled and Josh Hatcher walked to load the bases.
Once Justin Foscue drove a baseball through the hole on the left side of the infield to tie the game at 2-2, there was a feeling all around the park that MSU might get the job done after all.
Brandon Pimentel, who had also struggled at the plate throughout the game with two strikeouts, stepped to the plate and delivered the biggest hit of his Bulldog career as the sophomore transfer from Howard Community College blasted a three-run home run to right field to clear the bases.
With MSU up 5-2, it added an insurance run when Kamren James singled and scored on a passed ball.
One inning, six runs and that's all the Bulldogs needed to pull out a victory when it seemed for a long time during the game that it wasn't going to happen.
Spencer Price came on for MSU in the ninth inning and retired the Beavers in order, including a strike out to end the game. If Price has returned to his pre-injury form, he could become a big factor for the back end of games for the Bulldogs.
The comeback win for MSU could not have been accomplished if it had not been for starting pitcher Carlisle Koestler and relievers Landon Sims, David Dunlavey and Price. Again, they prevented Oregon State from building a lead and kept the Bulldogs within striking distance.
The series between the two teams continues today and Sunday. The Beavers don't want to leave Starkville without taking at least two out of three games so this still has the makings of being a very good series between the top 25 teams.
If you have the chance to get out to Dudy Noble Field the next couple of day, then it will be worth it. It will be a little warmer and the action should heat up as well.
Danny P. Smith is the sports editor and columnist for The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SDN or its staff.