Mississippi State Christens the New Dude with an Emphatic Win

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State ushered in a new era in its tradition-rich baseball program Tuesday night as the No. 21 Diamond Dawgs won its first-ever game at the new Dudy Noble Field with a 9-1 win over New Mexico State.

After playing their first 11 games of the regular season on the road, the Bulldogs finally played in front of the most passionate fanbases in college baseball.

What that crowd saw was an outstanding pitching performance by Cole Marsh and Denver McQuary. The duo combined to allow five hits and one run (earned), with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Marsh (1-0) pitched the first five innings for his first collegiate victory, while McQuary finished the contest for his second save.

MSU (7-5) won its fourth straight with 12 base hits and runs in five different frames.

“It was a great night for Mississippi State baseball,” MSU head coach Gary Henderson said. “This was great for our fans to be able to see the team play. The crowd was into it. We had a great student turnout as well. Cole and Denver both pitched well. It was an all-around great team win.

“The biggest thing for Cole was in the first inning he gets the first two outs and then gave up three hits. He battled back got out of the inning and kept getting stronger. That was big for him.”

Jake Mangum had three hits, while Hunter Stovall and Josh Hatcher each added two hits apiece.

The Bulldogs erased an early 1-0 deficit by scoring twice in the home half of the first inning. Mangum started things with the first Bulldog hit at the new Dudy Noble. Hunter Stovall and Justin Foscue each singled to load the bases.

A ground ball out scored one run and a single by Hatcher scored the other.

The Bulldogs ran the lead to 4-1 on an RBI-single by Mangum in the second inning and a sacrifice fly by Luke Alexander in the fifth inning.

Stovall followed with a big two-run single in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, the Maroon and White loaded the bases on hits by Alexander, Hatcher and Dustin Skelton. A wild pitched scored a run, as did a passed ball. A sacrifice fly by Rowdey Jordan ended the scoring.

The Bulldogs and Aggies will meet again on Wednesday to conclude their two-game series with a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch from Dudy Noble. The game will air live on SEC Network+, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. The contest will also air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. With Jim Ellis on the call, all three games will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.

Tickets for tomorrow’s game, along with all of MSU’s home games and some road games, can be purchased through HailState.com/tickets.