Video: MSU Baseball Closes Weekend With Rout Of SDSU

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics) – We will see you at second base.

Mississippi State opened the baseball season on a strong offensive note, capping the weekend with a 15-5 win over South Dakota State Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.

For the weekend, the Bulldogs finished with a 2-2 overall record. MSU collected 52 base hits, including 20 doubles.

“We did some things well, but we had some things that we didn’t do well,” MSU head coach John Cohen said. “Obviously, you wanted more wins. You wanted better production from the pitchers. Offensively, we swung the bats well. We showed that we can be a much better offensive team this season.”

MSU erased an early 1-0 deficit with four runs in the first inning. The Bulldogs then blew the contest open with a six-run third inning. The contest lasted seven innings because of a run rule.

Junior college transfer Jack Kruger had another monster day at the plate. Kruger scored four runs Sunday, with three base hits and three RBIs. For the weekend, the California native was 9-of-16 at the plate.

“Jack can flat out hit,” Cohen said. “We knew that when got him. We like the strides that he is making defensively as well. Overall, I thought we had some really good at-bats. We have a lot of guys off to good starts.”

Reid Humphreys, Ryan Gridley and Luke Alexander each added two hits apiece. For the weekend, the Bulldogs collected 17 multi-hit games. Kruger and Gridley each had four for the weekend.

In the MSU first inning, Jacob Robson started things with a leadoff single. After a steal of second base, Kruger drew a walk. Nathaniel Lowe followed with an RBI-double. A pair of groundouts forced in a pair of runs. An RBI-single by Gridley ran the lead to 4-1.

In the third inning, South Dakota State (0-4) tied the contest at 5-5 on a three-run home run by Cody Sharrow.

Again the double got things going in the home half of the MSU third inning. Humphreys hit that one to get things going. After a bunt single by Gridley, a walk to Alexander loaded the bases.

A bases-loaded walk to Robson forced in the go-ahead run. Kruger then followed with a two-run single. The Bulldogs then took advantage of three straight walks to plate two more scores. A fielding error reached Humphreys again and brought home the final run of the inning.

In the fourth inning, Kruger slapped his team’s second home run of the weekend.

Zac Houston drew the start for MSU but was lifted with two outs in the fourth inning. Houston allowed six hits and five runs (one earned), with three walks and three strikeouts. Blake Smith, Ryan Rigby, Paul Young and Ryan Cyr followed Houston to the mound.

Smith (1-0) pitched two innings to garner his first victory with the Maroon and White.

MSU will play host to Memphis at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field.