Mississippi State scored the first six runs against St. John’s in Sunday’s elimination game at the Charlottesville Regional. They appeared to be in the driver’s seat before the Red Storm began to close the gap in the fourth inning.
Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis chose to start Brooks Auger, who had struck 13 players out and threw 12 balls in his last outing against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. He wasn’t as crisp as he had been late last month as the game went on after allowing five hits and two earned runs in the first four innings.
“Not as much command as we saw that night, and that’s really the key right there over the next couple of innings,” Lemonis told ESPN2’s broadcast team before the fifth inning. “Can he get ahead and work his pitches? I feel like he’s fallen behind and given up some swings. That’s been the message here in the dugout.”
Lemonis didn’t know it at the time, but Auger wouldn’t make it to the end of the inning. Instead, he was pulled for Cam Schuelke after allowing the first St. John’s batter to reach in the fifth.
Auger finished the game having thrown 70 pitches across 4.1 innings of work. He allowed two earned runs on six total hits. St. John’s would score two more runs at Schuelke’s expense before the end of the inning. However, Mississippi State extended its lead in the sixth inning after a two-run home run from David Mershon.
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