Pen Proves Plenty of Fight Left in Dawgs
June 28, 2021 | Baseball, Joel Coleman
State relievers give MSU a boost and hope for a Tuesday bounce back – Story presented by Farm Bureau
OMAHA, Neb. – Mississippi State is down, but it's not out. And if their bullpen is any indication at all, there's still plenty of bite left in these Bulldogs even after a tough night.
MSU fell 8-2 to Vanderbilt in the opening game of the College World Series Finals on Monday. The loss puts State in a 1-0 hole in the best-of-three set for the national championship, but even in defeat, the Bulldog relief corps displayed a grit and toughness that gives MSU reason to believe this series is far from done.
"I'm not a big moral victory guy, but I did tell our kids I was proud of them," Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said following the game. "After the first inning, we locked in and played great baseball…They should feel confident in some ways in the fact that when we did go out there and execute pitches and make plays, we're right there."
Five different Mississippi State pitchers emerged from the pen and collectively held down the Commodores to at least give MSU a shot at come-from-behind magic. That of course didn't happen, but nonetheless, it was a glimpse into the never-quit mentality of these Bulldogs.
Following a big first-inning Vanderbilt rally, MSU's Chase Patrick, Cade Smith, Brandon Smith, KC Hunt and Jackson Fristoe all toed the pitching rubber at T.D. Ameritrade Park. The five hurlers combined to limit the Commodores to just two runs and three hits over 7 2/3 innings of work. It was, at the least, a statement of strength in the face of adversity.
"We've just got a tough group," Lemonis said. "I'm really proud. Like KC Hunt hadn't pitched in probably a month and I thought he was really good. Jackson Fristoe went out there and gave us a good inning. Those guys, they just kept working and pitching and [pitching coach Scott Foxhall] kept telling me the pens have been good and these guys were ready. Sometimes in the postseason, it's hard to get guys in there because everything is so tight and you just don't know because they haven't pitched in awhile, but these guys just went out there and competed. And that's what we have to do."
The only negative to it all? The Bulldogs couldn't take advantage. On this night, the hole was simply too deep. MSU did lead 1-0 briefly on a first-inning Kamren James homer, but Vanderbilt's first-inning rally quickly erased the State advantage. Logan Tanner later provided an RBI single for the Diamond Dawgs but no MSU player would touch home plate again. Even so, the bullpen continued to do its thing, exemplifying the resolve these 2021 Bulldogs have shown all year on the path to this point.
"They did a great job," MSU right fielder Tanner Allen said of his team's relievers. "They kept us in the game. Every inning, they were getting 1-2-3s as quick as they could…Bullpen did a great job. They gave us a chance to come back."
Maybe, just maybe, the determination of the Bulldog bullpen will be a spark State can use to turn this series back around.
"If we're going to win this thing, we're going to have to compete," Lemonis said. "We're going to have to play tough. We're going to have to make them earn it. We didn't do that at times [Monday], but we're going to do that the rest of the week."
MSU fell 8-2 to Vanderbilt in the opening game of the College World Series Finals on Monday. The loss puts State in a 1-0 hole in the best-of-three set for the national championship, but even in defeat, the Bulldog relief corps displayed a grit and toughness that gives MSU reason to believe this series is far from done.
"I'm not a big moral victory guy, but I did tell our kids I was proud of them," Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said following the game. "After the first inning, we locked in and played great baseball…They should feel confident in some ways in the fact that when we did go out there and execute pitches and make plays, we're right there."
Five different Mississippi State pitchers emerged from the pen and collectively held down the Commodores to at least give MSU a shot at come-from-behind magic. That of course didn't happen, but nonetheless, it was a glimpse into the never-quit mentality of these Bulldogs.
Following a big first-inning Vanderbilt rally, MSU's Chase Patrick, Cade Smith, Brandon Smith, KC Hunt and Jackson Fristoe all toed the pitching rubber at T.D. Ameritrade Park. The five hurlers combined to limit the Commodores to just two runs and three hits over 7 2/3 innings of work. It was, at the least, a statement of strength in the face of adversity.
"We've just got a tough group," Lemonis said. "I'm really proud. Like KC Hunt hadn't pitched in probably a month and I thought he was really good. Jackson Fristoe went out there and gave us a good inning. Those guys, they just kept working and pitching and [pitching coach Scott Foxhall] kept telling me the pens have been good and these guys were ready. Sometimes in the postseason, it's hard to get guys in there because everything is so tight and you just don't know because they haven't pitched in awhile, but these guys just went out there and competed. And that's what we have to do."
The only negative to it all? The Bulldogs couldn't take advantage. On this night, the hole was simply too deep. MSU did lead 1-0 briefly on a first-inning Kamren James homer, but Vanderbilt's first-inning rally quickly erased the State advantage. Logan Tanner later provided an RBI single for the Diamond Dawgs but no MSU player would touch home plate again. Even so, the bullpen continued to do its thing, exemplifying the resolve these 2021 Bulldogs have shown all year on the path to this point.
"They did a great job," MSU right fielder Tanner Allen said of his team's relievers. "They kept us in the game. Every inning, they were getting 1-2-3s as quick as they could…Bullpen did a great job. They gave us a chance to come back."
Maybe, just maybe, the determination of the Bulldog bullpen will be a spark State can use to turn this series back around.
"If we're going to win this thing, we're going to have to compete," Lemonis said. "We're going to have to play tough. We're going to have to make them earn it. We didn't do that at times [Monday], but we're going to do that the rest of the week."
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