elitedawgs
03-02-2019, 10:23 PM
In game four of the Frisco Classic, Mississippi State defeated Texas Tech 4-2 on a cold and damp night.
Mississippi State Starter JT Ginn did not look the role of a true freshman facing a top 5 team on the road. Ginn improved to 3-0 on the season after throwing 7 complete innings while only giving up three hits, two earned runs, one walk while striking out eight.
Facing his first batter, Ginn gave up a single to center field. What might rattle some did not phase Ginn, as he proceeded to strike out the next two batters with a vicious combination of his fastball in the upper 90's and his slider. When asked about Ginn, Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock said Ginn's fastball and slider were working very well. Tadlock added that the slider must have had some extra spin on it, causing struggles for the Texas Tech lineup.
Mississippi State struck first in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead, aided by two Tech errors in the inning. Texas Tech answered in the bottom of the second, ironically thanks to one of Ginn's sliders in the dirt that catcher Dustin Skelton had trouble reeling in, allowing a runner at third to score, tying the game at one.
In the fourth inning, Mississippi State scored another run after Rowdey Jordan drew a two-out walk, followed by a Gunner Halter RBI single to right, giving State a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Ginn's slider carved up the first two batters he faced, followed by a groundout to third for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Opportunity presented itself again in the top of the fifth, as Mississippi State loaded the bases with two outs. Tanner Allan and Elijah MacNamee drew walks, then with one out, Dustin Skelton grounded deep to short and reached safely. The Bulldogs opted to pinch hit with Marshall Gilbert, however Gilbert struck out. Rowdey Jordan hit a ball deep to short, resulting in an error on Texas Tech shortstop Easton Murrell, scoring a run. Mississippi State took a 3-1 lead. Texas Tech's bullpen did a fantastic job preventing further damage in the frame.
In the bottom of the sixth, Texas Tech would plate another run thanks to a Bulldog error. Ginn struck out the first batter then gave up a single. The next batter hit a perfect double play ball that was thrown wildly to first, allowing the runner to score.
Mississippi State scored the final run of the game in the 8th inning after Jordan led off with a single to right, was bunted to second, and reached third on a wild pitch. Mayor Jake Mangum flied out to center, plating the final run of the game.
Postgame, when asked about how good is the Bulldog pitching staff, junior catcher Dustin Skelton responded that in his first year, there were seven healthy arms on the staff, and only nine his second year. This year, Skelton noted there are 15-16 arms giving State tremendous depth, and he believes they can be dominant.
When asked about the how the pitching changes from Ginn to White and Gordon impact catching, Skelton noted he's learned what he needs to do with true freshman Ginn, and already has enough experience with relievers Colby White and Cole Gordon to know what to expect from them, making the task easier.
JT Ginn was told about Tadlock's comments on his slider, then asked what he was doing to create the spin. The Freshman answered "Honestly, I don't know, I just throw it". Ginn is absolutely as good as advertised, a first round draft pick in the 2018 Major League Draft.
On Sunday, weather permitting, Mississippi State plans to start junior right-handed pitcher Keegan James against Nebraska, in a game scheduled for an 11AM first pitch. Weather has already been a significant factor in the Frisco Classic, however tomorrow will be even worse with rain expected through early morning and temperatures expected to drop to near freezing by the first pitch. Nebraska was defeated by Sam Houston State 11-10 in the first game today. A win would give Mississippi State a sweep in the Frisco classic.
Mississippi State Starter JT Ginn did not look the role of a true freshman facing a top 5 team on the road. Ginn improved to 3-0 on the season after throwing 7 complete innings while only giving up three hits, two earned runs, one walk while striking out eight.
Facing his first batter, Ginn gave up a single to center field. What might rattle some did not phase Ginn, as he proceeded to strike out the next two batters with a vicious combination of his fastball in the upper 90's and his slider. When asked about Ginn, Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock said Ginn's fastball and slider were working very well. Tadlock added that the slider must have had some extra spin on it, causing struggles for the Texas Tech lineup.
Mississippi State struck first in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead, aided by two Tech errors in the inning. Texas Tech answered in the bottom of the second, ironically thanks to one of Ginn's sliders in the dirt that catcher Dustin Skelton had trouble reeling in, allowing a runner at third to score, tying the game at one.
In the fourth inning, Mississippi State scored another run after Rowdey Jordan drew a two-out walk, followed by a Gunner Halter RBI single to right, giving State a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Ginn's slider carved up the first two batters he faced, followed by a groundout to third for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Opportunity presented itself again in the top of the fifth, as Mississippi State loaded the bases with two outs. Tanner Allan and Elijah MacNamee drew walks, then with one out, Dustin Skelton grounded deep to short and reached safely. The Bulldogs opted to pinch hit with Marshall Gilbert, however Gilbert struck out. Rowdey Jordan hit a ball deep to short, resulting in an error on Texas Tech shortstop Easton Murrell, scoring a run. Mississippi State took a 3-1 lead. Texas Tech's bullpen did a fantastic job preventing further damage in the frame.
In the bottom of the sixth, Texas Tech would plate another run thanks to a Bulldog error. Ginn struck out the first batter then gave up a single. The next batter hit a perfect double play ball that was thrown wildly to first, allowing the runner to score.
Mississippi State scored the final run of the game in the 8th inning after Jordan led off with a single to right, was bunted to second, and reached third on a wild pitch. Mayor Jake Mangum flied out to center, plating the final run of the game.
Postgame, when asked about how good is the Bulldog pitching staff, junior catcher Dustin Skelton responded that in his first year, there were seven healthy arms on the staff, and only nine his second year. This year, Skelton noted there are 15-16 arms giving State tremendous depth, and he believes they can be dominant.
When asked about the how the pitching changes from Ginn to White and Gordon impact catching, Skelton noted he's learned what he needs to do with true freshman Ginn, and already has enough experience with relievers Colby White and Cole Gordon to know what to expect from them, making the task easier.
JT Ginn was told about Tadlock's comments on his slider, then asked what he was doing to create the spin. The Freshman answered "Honestly, I don't know, I just throw it". Ginn is absolutely as good as advertised, a first round draft pick in the 2018 Major League Draft.
On Sunday, weather permitting, Mississippi State plans to start junior right-handed pitcher Keegan James against Nebraska, in a game scheduled for an 11AM first pitch. Weather has already been a significant factor in the Frisco Classic, however tomorrow will be even worse with rain expected through early morning and temperatures expected to drop to near freezing by the first pitch. Nebraska was defeated by Sam Houston State 11-10 in the first game today. A win would give Mississippi State a sweep in the Frisco classic.