PEARL — Three words that have rarely been uttered by a Mississippi State University baseball player under coach John Cohen were said Tuesday night.
“We gave up,” MSU junior catcher Mitch Slauter said.
The comment was a microcosm of what took place Tuesday in MSU’s 6-3 loss to the No. 22 University of Mississippi in the annual Governor’s Cup game at Trustmark Park.
MSU (21-16) didn’t show any resistance against four pitchers Ole Miss, striking out 16 times and getting just six hits.
“I thought offensively we didn’t want to fight or compete with our at-bats tonight,” Cohen said. “That’s really disappointing.”
After the loss, Cohen talked to his players in left field for more than 30 minutes to stress the effort didn’t meet team standards. He didn’t want the Bulldogs to use injuries, a nine-hour bus ride from the University of South Carolina, or inexperience as excuses, especially with MSU preparing for a critical Southeastern Conference series against the University of Tennessee. That three game set will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPNU) and will help kick off Super Bulldog Weekend.
“When you strike out 16 times, you’re not going to win any ballgames,” Cohen said. “We got all the excuses in the world: kids are tired, bus trip, blah, blah, blah, and there is no excuse. You got to focus and get it done. Our kids weren’t locked in. When they lights came on here, we were not prepared to play.”
The final three relievers for Ole Miss (25-12) allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 innings. Hawtin Buchanan (1-0) threw the most critical innings in the middle of the game. Buchanan struck out five in 2 2/3 perfect innings. He mixed diving breaking pitches to get hitters to swing at pitches out of the zone all evening. The effort helped Buchanan pitch longer than his previous longest outing of the season (1 2/3 innings against the University of Southern Mississippi on March 23).
“It was up to our pitchers to hold (the lead) and they really did,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “They threw the ball in the zone, made some pitches, and came up with some big strikeouts when we needed them.”
Ole Miss (25-12) broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning. In his second career start, MSU’s Brandon Woodruff (0-1) allowed seven hits and five runs (all earned) with three strikeouts and one walk. He was lifted with two outs in the fourth.
Senior first baseman Matt Snyder was a big part of the outburst. Snyder had three hits and two RBIs, while leadoff hitter Tanner Mathis had two hits. Snyder had RBI singles in the first and eighth and a hit in the five-hit fourth.
MSU’s Trey Porter, Wes Rea, and Hunter Renfroe went 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts and stranded four runners.
“Most of these guys are playing in their first Governors Cup game and you draw from your experiences. I know because I was in that position,” Cohen said. “I love our pitching, but our offensive guys have to compete a little harder. I can’t stress it any more than that.”
Junior right-hander Chris Stratton is scheduled to start Thursday for MSU.
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