Mississippi State finally got Ryan McPherson back on the mound Saturday, and for about 20 minutes it felt like the Bulldogs had their guy again. A clean first inning, the fastball looked lively, the tempo was good, and the whole ballpark seemed to exhale a little. After seven weeks of waiting, the sophomore right‑hander was back in uniform doing what he does. And then it was over almost as quickly as it started . McPherson gave up a solo homer in the second, then turned his ankle on an awkward landing while covering home plate on a base hit. He tried to walk it off, tried to convince everyone he was fine, but he never threw another pitch. His day ended at 1.1 innings and 34 pitches, well short of the 40‑pitch cap the staff had set for him. Ryan retires his first side in order pic.twitter.com/YopKukHn84 — Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 9, 2026 It was obvious he didn’t want to come out. It was just as obvious Brian O’Connor wasn’t going to risk it.…