Bulldogs Breeze By Youngstown State with 11-Run 8th Inning

STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics/WCBI) – A historic night at the “Carnegie Hall of College Baseball” saw five-straight strikeouts to start the game for redshirt-junior starting pitcher Ethan Small. The offense exploded for 14 runs between the sixth and eighth innings in the season-opening 14-3 victory over Youngstown State on Friday (Feb. 15) night at the new Dudy Noble Field.

The 8,503 fans in attendance saw the unveiling of the “Thunder and Lightning” statues honoring Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, and a ceremonial first pitch from legendary head coach Ron Polk before the first game in the new $68-million home of Diamond Dawg baseball.

With the Bulldog (1-0) offense off to a slow start, Small struck out the first five Penguin (0-1) batters he faced on his way to a career-best 11 strikeouts. His total was one more than his 10-strokeout effort against Utah Valley on March 9, 2018. Overall, he allowed two runs on four hits and didn’t walk a batter in five innings of work.

After the Penguins added a run off of senior reliever Peyton Plumlee in the top of the sixth inning to make it 3-0 in favor of the visiting team, State responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to knot the score. The big hit came via a two-run home run from sophomore Tanner Allen to tie the game at 3-3, while sophomore Jordan Westburg plated the first RBI with a double.

The eighth inning featured 11 runs on nine hits, including a three-run home run by Elijah MacNamee and two-RBI hits from junior Gunner Halter and sophomore Rowdey Jordan. Allen added a pair of RBIs in the inning, Westburg plated a run with a single and sophomore Josh Hatcher collected a pinch-hit RBI single.

Plumlee tossed two innings and allowed one run on one hit. He walked one and struck out two. Graduate student Cole Gordon threw a perfect eighth inning to extend his scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings, dating back to last season. Junior Colby White allowed one and struck out three batters in his first appearance in the maroon and white

In the process, head coach Chris Lemonis earned his first victory as the Bulldogs skipper. Lemonis joins eight other Bulldog head coaches that won their first contest as head coach. John Cohen, Jimmy Bragan, Paul E. Gregory, S.L. Robinson, F.P. Plass, S.A. Jehl, S.W. Scales and G.C. Creelman all won their first game as the Maroon and White’s head coach. Polk won the first game of his second stint as the MSU skipper in 2002.