#3 Mississippi State fell to #24 Long Beach State 13-3 in the second game of the series on Saturday at Dudy Noble Field. The 13,351 in attendance marked the 13th highest attendance in history.
State’s bats were alive early on in the contest as the Diamond Dawgs scored two runs in the first and one in the third, but Long Beach State responded with eight runs of its own over the first four innings. LBSU reliever Jack Noble came on in the third and pitched 4.1 shutout innings to earn the win for the Dirtbags. Noble held MSU scoreless on three hits, while striking out six batters.
The series continues with a 1 PM first pitch on Sunday (Feb. 20) at Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State is scheduled to start RHP Cade Smith on Saturday, while Long Beach State will send RHP Juaron Watts-Brown to the mound.
After the loss Saturday, Mississippi State head baseball coach Chris Lemonis met with the media postgame to discuss the loss, and how the defending champs plan to bounce back. Video is courtesy of Hail State Athletics and the SEC.