The Cardiac Dawgs are at it again.
State had two walk-offs a couple weeks ago. Over the last week, their wins have come relatively easy. Today, however, they had to sweat it out.
After mustering only one hit in the first eight innings, a Logan Tanner walk-off home run capped off a four-spot 9th inning to notch a 4-1 win over Eastern Michigan.
“I just think we don’t quit,” Chris Lemonis said. “Today, their arm was probably as good as we’ve seen all year. 93, 94 with a power sinker, and we weren’t picking it up. It wasn’t by design, but we just keep playing and kept the pitch count up. We talk about in the 9th inning just moving the lineup and getting the next guy to the plate. It’s hard to pitch when the crowd gets that energy going, and we had some guys who made some good swings.”
Eric Cerantola got the start on the bump today, and the control issues he’s shown so far this year crept up again in the 1st. He plunked the first batter he faced, and he hit another batter later in the inning. But, a double-play groundout and another groundout got him out of the frame unscathed.
After the Bulldogs went down in order, Cerantola started to find his groove. He threw a 1-2-3 frame. State got a couple baserunners on with one out in the bottom of the 2nd, but a double play stranded them.
In the 3rd, Cerantola showed why he’s considered one of the top prospects in the upcoming MLB Draft. Strikeout looking, strikeout looking, and a swinging K with some nasty breaking balls. The Bulldog bats, however, put together three-straight groundouts in the bottom half. Scoreless through three.
Eastern Michigan’s first hit of the ballgame was a bomb to left field, just over the glove of Brad Cumbest, breaking a 39.1-inning scoreless streak for the Bulldogs. That would be all they could do in that inning, but they held a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half, MSU got a man to 2nd but stranded him.
Cerantola strode back to the mound and responded to the previous inning’s home run with a 3- up, 3-down frame. That concluded his best start of the season—five innings, one hit, one run, five strikeouts.
“The biggest thing, even in the middle of the game, was I relaxed out there,” Cerantola said. “My previous two starts, I felt that I was always tense. From the 3rd inning on, I felt like I was relaxed. I also made a good delivery adjustment, and I felt more loose out there. That allowed me to get ahead of batters and fill up the zone better. I got ahead of batters and let my stuff take over.”
For the second time of the game, State was able to get a couple of baserunners on with one out. And also for the second time of the game, State grounded into a double play to strand them. EMU held on to their one-run advantage through five.
Preston Johnson replaced Cerantola on the bump. He struck ought the leadoff batter but walked the next guy. After he stole second, a groundout advanced him to third. Then, Cam Tullar took over, and he forced a fly out to end the inning.
Tanner Allen knocked a two-out single in the bottom of the 6th for State’s first hit of the game. But, that would be the only hit of the inning, as a strikeout left the Bulldogs scoreless.
Carlisle Koestler took over the mound in the 7th. He allowed a one-out single, but that was the only blemish in a scoreless frame. In the bottom half, MSU got a man to 2nd… and a strikeout stranded him.
Koestler threw a 1-2-3 8th, but the Bulldog offense did the same. Koestler fanned the side in order again in the 9th, and State—with only one hit during the course of the game—came up to bat down 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th.
Tanner Allen singled through the middle. Kamren James was plunked on an 0-2 count to give State two baserunners. Luke Hancock singled to score Allen and tie the game.
For the first time all day, the crowd in Dudy Noble was alive.
“It’s The Dude effect,” Lemonis said. “The Dude takes over, our fans take over, and it becomes very hard for our opponent to compete and win. It gives us energy. It lets our team have a little energy, have a little excitement, and I think it’s why our team plays so well. Because of the ballpark and the fanbase we have.”
Tie game, two men on, no outs. Up came Logan Tanner.
“I told Luke [Hancock] before that inning started, ‘let’s end it,’” Tanner said. “As soon as he got TA in, they brought the infield in, and I knew I just had to hit something hard.”
That he did. He launched the first pitch he saw into the Left Field Lounge, giving the Bulldogs another heart-stopping win. They’re now 12-3 on the year.
“We knew it was do or die,” Tanner said. “We didn’t wanna die, so we had to do.”
