The Bulldog Box Score: Logan Tanner's homer sinks Eastern Michigan

MSU scores four in the ninth to win

For eight innings on Saturday, Mississippi State couldn't have hit water if it fell out of a boat. The No. 3 Bulldogs were baffled all afternoon long by Eastern Michigan starting pitcher Justin Meis.

But baseball games are nine innings long. And this year's Bulldogs are starting to show a propensity to wait until the last frame before dealing a fatal blow. That was once again the case on Saturday as State scored four times in the ninth – capped by a Logan Tanner walk-off three-run homer – to defeat the Eagles 4-1.

"I just think we don’t quit," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. "(Meis) was as good as we have seen all year – 93-94 (miles per hour) with a powerful sinker. We weren’t picking it up. We were beating it in the ground all day. It wasn’t by design, but we just keep playing and get the pitch count up. We talk about in the ninth inning moving the line. Get the next guy to the plate. You could feel the energy in the ballpark. You get the (leadoff single from Tanner Allen in the ninth) and then (Kamren James gets hit by a pitch). It gets hard to pitch, hard to defend in (Dudy Noble Field) when you have that energy going. And we had some guys make some big swings."

(CLICK HERE TO WATCH LEMONIS' FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE)

No swing was bigger than Tanner's. After Luke Hancock tied the game with an RBI single, the Bulldogs had runners on the corners with nobody out. A simple fly ball would've likely won the game for MSU. Tanner left no doubt. He swung at the first and only pitch Eastern Michigan reliever Cameron Wagoner threw and drove it over the left-centerfield wall. 

"It felt really good," Tanner said of his game-winning home run. "I told (Hancock) before that inning started, 'Let's end it.' And as soon as he (tied the game with his hit), it brought the infield in. I knew I just had to hit something hard and I got a good barrel on the ball."

Tanner's homer made sure MSU starting pitcher Eric Cerantola's good day didn't go to waste. Cerantola went five strong innings in what was easily his best start of the year. The only hit Cerantola allowed was a solo homer to Taylor Hopkins.

Hopkins' fourth-inning shot was the first run MSU pitchers had allowed since last Saturday, ending a span of 39 straight scoreless innings hurled by Bulldog arms. It also looked for awhile like it might win Eastern Michigan the game.

But MSU relievers Preston Johnson, Cam Tullar and Carlisle Koestler combined to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard over the latter portion of Saturday's game. And when the contest went to the bottom of the ninth inning, Tanner Allen led off with a single, the rally was on and almost in the blink of an eye, the Bulldogs were celebrating.

"We knew it was do or die," Tanner said of the ninth inning. "We didn't want to die so we had to do."

Alright, let's take a look at the numbers, Cowbell Corner Game MVPs and Moment of the Game from MSU's thrilling Saturday win:

Eastern Michigan at Mississippi State box score

Offensive MVP: DH Logan Tanner

Tanner was only 1-for-3 on Saturday but his one hit doesn't get any bigger. It's a pretty hard and fast Cowbell Corner rule – if you hit a walk-off home run, you're probably going to be that day's offensive MVP. So Tanner gets those honors here. 

Luke Hancock could've also been considered here for his game-tying single. So, too, could Tanner Allen make a claim for offensive MVP for getting the late rally going (more on that in a minute). But it feels fitting for Tanner to get the nod here on Saturday.

(WATCH LOGAN TANNER'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE)

Pitching MVP: SP Eric Cerantola

Cerantola was in desperate need of a strong start on Saturday. No one openly said it, but it's likely he was pitching for his spot in the weekend rotation.  If that was the case, Cerantola went out and did exactly what he needed to do to keep his role.

The Canadian right-hander went five innings, allowed one run on one hit, struck out five and didn't walk a batter. He did hit a pair of Eagles in the first inning, but outside of that, Cerantola was brilliant.

"They really didn’t sniff Eric," Lemonis said. "He dominated most of the game."

(WATCH CERANTOLA'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE)

Moment of the Game: Tanner Allen gets the rally started

When folks look back on Saturday, everyone will remember Logan Tanner's walk-off homer. Most will remember Luke Hancock's game-tying hit. But the mood inside Dudy Noble Field changed immediately when Tanner Allen led off the ninth with a single on the first pitch. There was a buzz in the park that almost seemed to indicate with certainty MSU was about to find a way to win.

"In our clubhouse, we talk about the Dude factor," Lemonis said of MSU's home stadium's atmosphere. "The Dude takes over and it becomes very hard for our opponent to compete and win. It gives us energy. That’s why you see us at the end of games play so well. Maybe our opponents don’t play so well because of it."

There's no doubt Eastern Michigan melted inside Dudy Noble on Saturday. And it was Allen that lit the stove and got things heating up.

Mississippi State celebrates following Logan Tanner's walk-off home run on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)

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