Cijntje's gutsy outing, Bulldog bats hand No. 16 State another series win over No. 23 Alabama
A shorthanded Alabama team entered Saturday’s game with No. 16 Mississippi State facing an uphill battle.
With several players dealing with food poisoning including three starters in the lineup, Bama battled against the Diamond Dawgs early before State took over the game. The Bulldogs got a strong performance from Jurrangelo Cijntje on the mound and had more big hits in a 8-1 ball game.
The victory sealed up a third-straight series win for State and gave the Bulldogs 10 wins in the last 11 ball games.
Cijntje’s 7.0 strong holds Bama offense in check
Cijntje wasn’t sharp all game long but the sophomore ambidextrous pitcher dealt with the heat that affected his contacts in his eyes. After giving up a solo home run in the third inning, Cijntje came back with four-straight scoreless innings and State’s offense did the rest of the work.
With a runner at second and two outs in the seventh, Cijntje had a mound visit from pitching coach Justin Parker in which the pitcher told his coach he was finishing that inning. He got a flyout to end the threat.
“I was like, ‘I’m not coming out. I don’t care if you like it or not, but I’m not coming out,’” Cijntje stated about his message to Parker. “I’m already in the game so I just didn’t want to come out. I didn’t have my best stuff (Saturday) but I battled through it.”
Just as has been the case for State for the last few weeks, the Bulldogs answered an early blow from the Crimson Tide. A spirited effort early from the Tide saw them get a home run off of the bat of Max Grant in the third inning.
MSU came back in the bottom of the inning and got a two-out RBI single from Bryce Chance and a two-run home run from David Mershon to quickly turn the game and make it 3-1. State added a run in the fourth, two in the sixth and then two more in the eighth to pull away.
The Bulldogs (32-15, 14-9 SEC) had nine hits in the game with a 3-for-4 day out of Logan Kohler as he had two RBI, a double and a home run and scored two runs. Chance and Mershon finished with two hits and two RBI each as Chance had a double and Mershon the home run.
“We call it the machine,” Kohler said of State’s offense. “Once the machine gets rolling, we keep going and working hard. (Jake Gautreau) is working with us nonstop and working nonstop so we call it the machine.”
Cijntje (7-1) threw 7.0 solid innings with seven scattered hits and just one run surrendered. He didn’t walk any batters and worked around three hit batters with eight strikeouts. Tyler Davis came in and pitched the final 2.0 innings with one hit, no runs and no walks.
“I thought he had a great performance. It was hot today but I think that’s where Loo is really growing. That competitive piece. Holding the ball, going late in games,” Lemonis said.
“Park went to take him out and he didn’t want to come out which was good to see. Where he’s come from last year to this year is such a growing process for him. Not just the stuff, it’s more the maturity of competing and the toughness piece this year.”
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With the possibility of the Bulldogs hosting a Regional continuing to build, Lemonis continued to push his squad to keep the pedal down. They will go for a second sweep in the last three weeks with a 1 p.m. first pitch as Brooks Auger will be on the mound.
“The third game is huge. You’re fighting for a Regional, to host one, and you’re fighting against Alabama. You win all three. You leave no doubt,” Lemonis said. “It’s good to win them, but in this league you’re just chasing the next one and the next one is 15 which is a big one in this league. For us to jump out there and get one tomorrow is huge.”
