Mississippi State baseball started its season on the right note, beating Air Force 10-2 on Sunday to clinch an opening-series victory.

The Bulldogs (2-1) got four innings of work from starter Jurrangelo Cijntje who allowed one run and struck out eight. He had a trainer come out in the third inning to look at his right arm, but the switch-pitcher stayed in to complete his final two innings of work.

MSU’s offense came to life in the fifth when it scored five runs on four hits. Five players pitched an inning of relief behind Cijntje. They did not surrender a run and allowed just one walk while striking out eight.

Mississippi State won the opener 8-4 on Friday before losing 3-2 on Saturday. Air Force is 1-2.

Here’s what we learned about MSU from the weekend before its two-game set with Austin Peay starting Tuesday (4 p.m., SEC Network+).

Khal Stephen proves worthy of starting spot

Purdue transfer Khal Stephen was the lone newcomer to start a game for Mississippi State in the opening series, and he proved to be a worthwhile pickup.

Stephen allowed just one run in seven innings Saturday, though he ended up with a no decision. He struck out 11 and threw 59 of his 80 pitches for strikes.

“What I really liked is he got better as the game went on,” coach Chris Lemonis said. “You looked up at him and it’s the sixth inning and seventh inning — most velocity, the slider was better. Really competed out there.”

Lemonis said he didn’t consider throwing Stephen in the eighth because the right-hander hadn’t done more than four innings of work at a time leading up to the game.

Friday night starter Nate Dohm, who played travel baseball together in their native state of Indiana, played a big part in recruiting Stephen to MSU in the offseason. Stephen also had a previous relationship with first-year pitching coach Justin Parker, who while working at Indiana recruited Stephen out of high school.

Dakota Jordan lives up to preseason hype

MSU outfielder Dakota Jordan got off to a hot start, recording five hits, two home runs and three runs batted in across the three games. His home run in the season opener brought Mississippi State within a run and fueled the comeback victory.

Jordan spent most of last season as the clean-up hitter, but he batted second in the series against Air Force. He typically hit behind left-handed slugger Hunter Hines last season but now hits in front of him as Hines continues to hit third.

After earning freshman All-American honors last season, Jordan was a preseason All-American this year.

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Mississippi State needs improved base running

Pitching has been a struggle for Mississippi State the past two seasons. Defense was worrisome last year. Through three games this season, baserunning is a concern.

The Bulldogs made a plethora of mistakes on the bases, highlighted by three costly ones in the tight loss Saturday.

“They all came at really tough moments,” Lemonis said. “It’s like we’re a little forced right now, trying to do a little too much. Trying to make something happen instead of just playing the game.”

Outfielder Bryce Chance accounted for a couple of the errors, including in the opener. While he was on second with one out, he attempted to score after a hard-hit ball by Connor Hujsak. However, Chance hadn’t seen that an Air Force outfielder caught the liner, making it an easy inning-ending double play for the Falcons.

Chance made up for it with what proved to be the winning home run in his following at-bat, but his work on the bases echoed the struggles of his teammates.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Unpacking Mississippi State baseball's opening series vs. Air Force