PEARL — John Cohen wants his batters to have a simple approach, especially with two outs or two strikes.
The Mississippi State baseball coach doesn’t want to see his batters taking big swings. Instead, he wants them to stick to what they are good at and try to find holes in the defense.
No. 5 MSU used that approach to score nine runs with two outs in a 13-5 victory against Southern Mississippi at Trustmark Park.
“I think our kids are just simplifying with two outs and especially two strikes,” said Cohen, whose team was (8-for-16) with two outs. “I think they’re just trying to hit a ball hard, put a ball in play, and get to the middle of the field. They’re doing a pretty good job of that.”
The Bulldogs (18-7-1) outhit the Golden Eagles (19-7) 18-11 and thrived with two outs and runners on base. MSU hit .444 (12-for-27) with runners on and .400 (8-for-20) with runners in scoring position.
Trailing 2-1, MSU scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead it didn’t relinquish. The Bulldogs scored three of the runs with two outs.
The big blow was a two-run bloop double by Nathaniel Lowe, who was 4-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs, and a walk.
“You look at a lot of our two-out hits, they’re little bloops and balls that make you say, ‘Wow, that’s ugly, but that’s in there,’ ” Lowe said. “A big thing we do in our BP (batting practice) is four-second fly balls, we try to get the ball on the grass in under four seconds. A lot those balls we hit with two outs, I guarantee you they were under four seconds.”
Entering the game, the Bulldogs had 82 two-out RBIs and were batting .328 with two outs. MSU batted .248 with two outs last season.
MSU scored another run with two outs in the fifth on a single by Ryan Gridley and scored two in the sixth. Reid Humphreys’ double to left-center field scored Lowe, and Elih Marrero’s single to left field scored Humphreys.
Humphreys (2-for-5, two RBIs) struck out in his first two at bats, but he simplified his approach his last two at-bats and had the double and a single.
“I’m really proud of him,” Cohen said. “He had two at-bats early in the ballgame that weren’t what he wanted them to be, and he just turned it right around.”
Marrero went 3-for-4 with one RBI. The 7-8-9 hitters (Marrero, John Holland, and Gridley) were 7-for-12 with three RBIs and six runs.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the seventh with two outs. Jacob Robson (3-for-3, two RBIs, three runs) scored on a double by Lowe in the eighth to end the scoring.
“We just work so hard on going up the middle and putting good contact on the ball with two outs,” Lowe said. “I’m just glad it paid off.
“With the firepower we have in this offense, we’re not looking to walk, so there’s no way we should be giving up marginal pitches with two strikes and two outs. Two outs is when we’re sharpest.”
The Golden Eagles scored two runs, including a solo home run by Tracy Hadley, in the fourth. Bulldog starter Konnor Pilkington gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none. Ryan Rigby (3-0) came on in the fourth and surrendered an RBI single to the first batter and then recorded the final two outs to leave two runners on. He threw 2 2/3 innings and gave up no runs on two hits. He struck out three.
Humphreys gave up one hit and struck out four in two innings.
“Two-out hits win ballgames, and it gives the pitchers a lot more rest,” Rigby said. “That’s huge getting two-out knocks.”
MSU will play host to No. 13 Ole Miss on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lowe said the offensive performance against Southern Miss will boost the team’s confidence for its weekend series.
“Early in counts and early innings, hitters might be getting big and doing too much,” Cohen said. “That third out is the hardest one to get when you’re on defense, and I think it’s because most people offensively are trying to simplify and force you to make plays with two outs.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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