The Bulldog Box Score and More: Happy homecoming for Lemonis as MSU tops The Citadel
It was a happy homecoming for Chris Lemonis.
Mississippi State's head coach returned to his alma mater and school where he both played and began his coaching career on Wednesday as MSU battled The Citadel on the road. The State ball club then went out and made sure Lemonis fully enjoyed his trip as the No. 4 Bulldogs put forth a strong showing in a 10-2 win.
"I like the way we played," Lemonis said in his postgame interview on the MSU Radio Network. "I thought we got a good start [on the mound from pitcher Cade Smith], our guys pitched well, we played good defense and we had some big hits."
Logan Tanner and Brad Cumbest led the Bulldogs offensively. Both had 2-for-4 nights. Both had two-run home runs. Cumbest finished with four total RBIs while Tanner had his two RBIs from his long ball.
Meanwhile seven MSU pitchers held The Citadel down. Smith set the tone as he started and hurled three shutout innings, allowing only one hit. Eric Cerantola, Cam Tullar, Parker Stinnett, Mikey Tepper, K.C. Hunt and Dylan Carmouche then tossed an inning each out of the bullpen. The only runs that group allowed came when Cerantola surrendered a triple and uncorked a wild pitch a batter later in the fourth inning, then Tullar gave up a solo homer in the fifth.
By the time Tullar gave up the dinger though, MSU already had the game in hand. State built an early lead with four runs over the first three innings. Scotty Dubrule had an RBI single in the first, Rowdey Jordan had a sacrifice fly in the second and Cumbest delivered a two-run single in the third. After The Citadel cut into State's lead with its first run in the fourth, MSU exploded for a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by the two-run homers off the bats of Tanner and Cumbest. Just like that, State led 9-1 and never looked back.
"Those two home runs, they were monster home runs," Lemonis said. "It kind of gave us some separation there in the game because the ballpark played a little offensive to [left field]. You worry about somebody [from The Citadel] being able to get a big hit, but us being able to separate right there was huge."
It all added up to a victorious reunion for Lemonis on his old stomping grounds. Lemonis previously spent 17 years of his life at The Citadel. He started as a player in 1989, then over the years transitioned to an assistant coach before becoming the associate head coach. Lemonis left The Citadel following the 2006 season as he joined the Louisville coaching staff. Then on Wednesday, he was back where his collegiate career began, if only for a brief visit. There was seemingly only one negative to the whole trip.
"It was nice," Lemonis said. "My best friend is [The Citadel head coach Tony Skole] and the poor guy got tested for COVID [on Tuesday and tested positive] so he wasn't able to [coach on Wednesday]. That's kind of a bummer. You come back and you want to see him. But it was nice...I spent 17 years here and there are so many people I hadn't seen. So many of my former teammates and just fans – fans who love the game and have been around for a long time. It was nice to come back and play well."
Lemonis now hopes his club can back up its strong performance with three more of them this weekend. MSU next takes the field on Friday as State begins a three-game series at South Carolina.
"We're going to have to be on our A-game," Lemonis said of the upcoming set against the Gamecocks.
Alright, let's quickly take a look at Wednesday's numbers, MSU MVPs and The Moment of the Game:
Mississippi State at The Citadel box score
MSU Offensive MVP: LF/RF Brad Cumbest
There can almost be no doubt now. Cumbest has seemingly, at least for the time being, locked down the starting job in left field.
Cumbest backed up his huge weekend showing against Texas A&M with a 2-for-4 night on Wednesday that included four RBIs and his fourth home run of the year.
The man they call 'Mule' is now 7-for-17 over his last five games with two homers, a double and eight RBIs. Hitting like that, there would appear to be little doubt as to who will be starting in left against South Carolina this weekend.
MSU Pitching MVP: SP Cade Smith
Smith had the longest outing of his brief MSU career on Wednesday and it was strong to say the least. He didn't allow a run and struck out three over his three innings of work. The only blemish against Smith was a leadoff single he allowed in the second. That runner was eventually erased on a double-play grounder.
For the year, Smith now has a 2.84 earned run average over 6.1 innings pitched. And judging by comments from his head coach, Smith could be working his way into being counted on more and more.
"He throws strikes and mixes," Lemonis said of Smith. "He's got a chance to really help us."
Moment of the Game: Cumbest and Tanner put it away
Mississippi State's five-run fifth inning essentially put Wednesday night's game on ice. And it was Tanner and Cumbest that did all the heavy lifting in the frame with their two big flies. You've read about the dingers already. So have a look as two of State's sluggers go yard to give MSU plenty of breathing room. First, here's Tanner's homer:
And now, here's Cumbest's:
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