BaseBall Bulldogs take all three games from Bison
After a 6-5 start to the season, Mississippi State needed to build some momentum coming off of a trip to Frisco, Texas.
The Bulldogs lost the first two games of that round robin against Ohio State and Oklahoma but were able to bounce back on Sunday against California. With a manageable week at home, the Bulldogs got what they needed.
After knocking off Valparaiso in a midweek run-rule victory on Tuesday, State won 8-2 over Lipscomb on Friday night and had a doubleheader sweep on Saturday with weather on the way today. It was just what MSU head coach Chris Lemonis and his team have needed.
“Four good days in a row this week – not easy,” Lemonis said. “I tip my hat to Lipscomb. I thought they threw some really nice arms at us (Saturday). They competed. I'm proud of the way we competed in both games.
“They had a big punch and took the lead, and we were able to come back in both games. Right away, we were able to fight back. That's a sign of a good club. Our kids are competing at a high level.”
State started Saturday with some theatrics as pitching carried the load before a defensive miscue with two outs in the ninth tied the game. It took just one at-bat to change that as Kellum Clark drove a ball out of the yard for a walk off home run in a 4-3 victory.
“I saw him throw a couple of sliders to me throughout the day, put them in some hittable spots and had thrown me one previously in that same at bat,” Clark said. “I put a decent swing on it. In that situation, there are so many guys around you on the team that can get it done. There's really no point in going up there and trying to do too much.”
Clark played hero in the game, but he was a spark plug all game in the lineup. Out of the seven hits in the contest for the Bulldogs, Clark had three of them. Landon Gartman gave the Bulldogs the third-straight start from a pitcher with six innings as the Memphis transfer scattered three hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six. Nate Dohm pitched the final three innings, gave up two hits, one run, a walk and struck out three.
Game two went from frustration to joy for the Bulldogs.
After leading 3-1 and missing scoring opportunities, State gave up a three-run double with two outs in the sixth inning to lose the lead. The response was an offensive explosion. State got seven runs and had two homers in the inning, then the pitching held up the rest of the way.
It was a day to remember for freshman catcher Ross Highfill. After sitting out the first game behind the plate, Highfill made the most of his opportunity with a 3-for-5 evening with four RBI and he hit three home runs. He was the first player to hit three homers in a game for the Bulldogs since Brent Rooker did it in 2017 and he became the first freshmen to ever accomplish the feat.
“He's very talented,” Lemonis said of Highfill. “He's had some big hits, but I was really pleased with the way he caught (Saturday). He's getting better every night behind the dish. He's got special tools back there, but he's still learning and working every day. He was a big piece (Saturday).”
State's offense came alive on the offensive side in game three as the Bulldogs went from struggling to find the big hit to rolling. The team finished with 11 hits, four home runs, two doubles and eight walks in the game. Bryce Chance went 2-for-3 with two RBI and the captain Luke Hancock was 2-for-4 with four RBI and a double.
Hancock put State on top in that sixth inning when he broke the tie with a three-run double to make it 7-4.
Graham Yntema started the game and threw 5.1 innings with three hits, three runs (one earned), three walks and five strikeouts. After giving up a run in the first inning on a hit and two walks, Yntema settled in nicely in the middle innings and finished with five strikeouts. Tyler Davis got the win despite giving up a threerun double to lose the lead in the sixth. He threw 1.1 innings, gave up a hit, two walks and got a strikeout.
KC Hunt closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning striking out two and leaving a runner he inherited stranded.
Kellum Clark celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a walk-off home run for Mississippi State in the first game of a doubleheader against Lipscomb on Saturday. (Photo by Craig Jackson, for Daily Times Leader)
Friday’s Game
Mississippi State has been looking for things to swing its way on the baseball diamond and the last week has seen some positives for the program.
This weekend got off to a great start for the Bulldogs hosting Lipscomb as freshman Jurrangelo Cijntje held the Bison down and the offense exploded for an inning to pull away and get the 8-2 win.
It was yet again not the perfect outing for an MSU pitcher, but it was all that was needed. The talented ambidextrous pitcher Cijntje walked five batters and hit two more in the game, but Lipscomb could never knock him around. The Bison managed just one hit against him and the only run came in the first inning on a sacrifice fly and Cijntje was never hurt beyond that.
“I didn't have my best command of my fastball like I usually
do and I'm a little bit sick too,” Cijntje said. “I'm trying to work on everything that I can to try and help my team win. I started feeling more comfortable and I could throw my breaking ball for strikes. I was feeling all of my pitches in the later innings.”
The freshman finished with a career high in innings (six) and strikeouts (eight). Starkville Academy freshman Evan Siary came in behind him and pounded the strike zone for the most part pitching the final three innings scattering three hits, one unearned run with no walks and three strikeouts.
State's offense threatened early in the game, but it took a couple of innings to break through. After leaving three stranded in the first two frames, the Bulldogs loaded the bases against lefty Micha Dunkleberger with a single and back-to-back hit batters. Ross Highfill nearly hit a grand slam to left field, but the ball off the wall was relegated to a single and two runs scored making it 3-1in favor of MSU.
Hunter Hines followed that up with a double that scored two more and it was a 5-1.
The Bulldogs got another run in the sixth and Hines hit a tworun home run in the seventh to push the lead out to 8-1.
Hines looks to be coming out of a little bit of a slump. After hitting a monster home run for MSU on Tuesday night, Hines was 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles and a home run.
“I'm not normally a six-hole guy, but I have great players around me and if I'm not doing the job, I know other people on our team can,” Hines said. “We're swinging it well right now. We're playing good baseball right now. We're not making many errors, we're hitting the ball really good, our pitching staff is doing great. I think as kind of a younger team, it took us a little time to get used to playing each other.”
The Bulldogs had nine hits in the game with three doubles as Colton Ledbetter also recorded three hits in the win and Lane Forsythe was 2-for-4 with a double. Forsythe had just three hits in the first 14 games last year but has been a staple for MSU in the lineup this year and had his third multi-hit game of the season and his 14th hit overall at the eighthole in the lineup.
The 4-0 week for the Bulldogs was exactly what the program needed after a shaky start to the year. MSU has won five-straight for the first time since April 30May 8 of 2021. Getting to 11-5 gives the Bulldogs some momentum as Southeastern Conference play looms, but they have to keep the foot on the pedal.
It will be a challenging week ahead. State has a midweek trip to Biloxi for a two-game slate against Nicholls and Louisiana. It plays Kentucky on the road to begin Southeastern Conference play this weekend.