Auburn couldn't best Mississippi State in the first game of the Tigers final home stand, falling 4-0 to the No.4 Bulldogs Friday at Plainsman Park. Starter Dakota Hudson (8-3) tossed a complete game shutout for Mississippi State, scattering six hits with six strikeouts on 116 pitches.
“I thought (Hudson) was on and I thought it was a tough at-bat for a right-handed hitter,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “Our guys see 93, 94 but what our guys don’t see is a right-handed cutter/slider at 88-90."
A solo home run, ground rule double and RBI single gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead over the Tigers in the third inning. Striking again in the sixth inning with a two out RBI single, Mississippi State established a 4-0 lead that would remain until the end of the contest.
“We had some decent left-handed at-bats against him but every time we hit a ball hard, they caught it," said Thompson. "I thought that was a huge difference in the ballgame.”
Senior Jackson Burgreen walked in the fifth inning to extend his on-base streak to 20 games. The outfielder also notched a pair of assists, throwing out runners at second and home plate from left field.
Niko Buentello had two hits for Auburn and Joshua Palacios went 1-for-4 in his first start since April 7. Auburn starter Cole Lipscomb allowed just one earned run in 5.2 innings, but took the loss, dropping to 2-4 on the season.
The series will continue with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday at Plainsman Park.
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