Anticipation for Mississippi State baseball has been hot for eight months and Diamond Dawg fans finally got to experience it on Friday night.

As the Brian O’Connor era began against Hofstra, an Opening Day record of 12,824 fans packed inside Dudy Noble Field anticipating a big night offensively. The bats never really came alive for State, but the Diamond Dawgs found a way to make O’Connor 1-0 anyway in a 6-5 ball game.

With a team full of experience from all over the country, O’Connor needed guys that had been inside a packed Dudy Noble to bring the team through.

“You can talk to the players about how to manage that emotion, but they have to experience it themselves and go through it,” O’Connor said of night one. “They have to have the ability in the game to slow the game and moment down and not try to do too much. No greater example of that than two veteran players that have worn this uniform – Reed Stallman and Ben Davis at the end of the game.”

Stallman delivered three of the six runs scored and two of the three hits in the game as the senior designated hitter was 2-for-3 with a double in the game and also had a walk to help the Bulldog offense.

Davis came in when things were rocky on the mound and settled things for the Diamond Dawgs. When he got into some trouble in the ninth inning, the steady senior calmly would strike out a batter to end the ball game.

Bulldog offense takes advantage of Pride miscues

State was outhit 10-3 in the game and struggled to breakthrough. But the Pride’s struggles to throw strikes would aid in the Diamond Dawgs’ work to win game one.

Hofstra walked eight batters, threw four wild pitches, had two passed balls and a balk on the night and MSU would get several of its runs in the game because of all of it. One big hit did make a difference for the Diamond Dawgs, however.

Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, State had Reed Stallman at the plate with two outs and two men in scoring position. With a 3-2 count, Stallman would send a ball into the right field corner for a two-run double that tied the game. A wild pitch and throwing error followed with two outs and made it 4-2 in favor of the Bulldogs.

After Hofstra cut the lead on a two-out RBI double in the fifth, State didn’t have to swing the bat to extend the lead. With two outs, Ace Reese was hit by pitch and was followed by three-straight walks and a balk making it 6-3.

State’s inability to hit the baseball and score more runs would make things interesting. Hofstra wouldn’t go away as they had a double and a single off of Duke Stone in the sixth that would cut the lead to 6-4. Ben Davis dominated his first two innings in the seventh and eighth, but he got in some trouble in the ninth.

A hit batter and then a double put the tying run in scoring position with one out and the Pride would make it 6-5 with a sacrifice fly. Davis had to buckle down with the tying run 90 feet away and he got a swinging strikeout of Tyler Castrataro to end things.

“I was just thinking get ahead of hitters and attack the zone with everything that I had,” Davis said. “I felt pretty prepared for sure. I just trusted the process all fall and spring leading up to it and that’s what you want.”

Ryan McPherson got the start for the Diamond Dawgs but struggled to cruise through Hofstra as he scattered six hits and two runs through 4.0 innings. He didn’t allow a walk as he did command the strike zone and he struck out four batters.

Stone (1-0) earned the win as he pitched 2.0 innings and gave up three hits, two runs, two walks and struck out four. Davis earned the save throwing 3.0 innings with just one hit, one run and no walks surrendered to go with five strikeouts.

Stallman was the only standout for a Bulldog lineup that was sleepy in game one. A guy that many did not pencil in the lineup preseason, Stallman was one of the few that had success.

“I think just getting into the everyday routine was something I really took pride in over the offseason – all of the hitters did,” Stallman said. “Just getting better everyday is something that we strive for.”

Aidan Teel and Reese finished with two runs each.

State will look to not only take the series but sweep it on Saturday. With rainy weather expected on Sunday, there will be a doubleheader Saturday afternoon beginning with a Noon first pitch for game two. Game three will follow 45 minutes after.