Coleman’s Gem
Missouri State fans remember well when Matt Hall jawed with soon-to-be Golden Spikes Award winner Andrew Benintendi and seemed to take on all of Razorback Nation by his lonesome. His complete game shutout in Game 2 of the 2015 Super Regional in Fayetteville instantly made him an MSU legend.
It wasn’t a shocking effort for the national strikeout leader, but Dylan Coleman proved to be a bigger surprise on Saturday.
Jared Janczak had the clear edge in the matchup, undefeated and the 13th lowest ERA in the country. After laboring through 49 pitches in the first two innings, Coleman surrendered just one hit and three walks over the next 5.1 shutout frames. He worked a speedy eighth inning already well over 100 pitches into his start, finishing with 132 total.
He did everything asked of him on a day where Keith Guttin elected to not go with MVC Newcomer of the Year Doug Still on short rest. Unfortunately, the biggest outing of Coleman’s career quickly went up in smoke…
Knutson’s Odd Day
In the most bizarre scene of Game 1, Jordan Knutson came in to relieve Coleman with a runner on second in the eighth. The senior stumbled and fell off the mound on his first warm-up pitch, sending Lupton Stadium into a frenzy. He staggered again before finishing with another handful of tosses.
TCU fans met every subsequent successful motion with sarcastic jeers and eventually chanted Knutson’s name in between pitches. The odd arrival from the bullpen seemed to cast a bad omen over the situation he inherited, the go-ahead run at the plate in the form of top TCU bat Evan Skoug.
Sure enough, what ensued was a roar that could be heard clear into Dallas ensued as Skoug deposited a two-run shot into the hill in right field. That put the Horned Frogs up 3-2 before Knutson got the final two outs the Bears would need. Guttin said the desire for a lefty-lefty matchup was the reason to opt for the senior over MVC Pitcher of the Year Jake Fromson or closer Bryan Young.
Eierman’s Heel Turn
That’s a bit sensational, but TCU fans found somewhere to point their ire in the eighth inning. Jeremy Eierman took off for first base twice on what he thought was a fourth ball, but both pitches were called strikes. Horned Frogs fans turned this into a mini-walk a shame for the sophomore. After Eierman did eventually walk, he gave the bat a toss, drawing loud boos across the stadium.
An errant throw to first then allowed him to race to third, where the heat from the crowd crescendoed. Blake Graham struck out to end the inning, leaving Eierman to back in the crowd’s booing on the walk back to the dugout his return to short, and whenever a ball was hit in his direction.
The sophomore from Warsaw has been the Bears’ best offensive player this postseason and, after clubbing the first home run of the year off Janczak looked like one of the best of the Super Regional on Saturday. His bat toss was gamesmanship in response to a crowd that gave him a proper ribbing for a false start out of the batters box.
Leaving A Mark
The Horned Frogs have played 447 home games since Lupton Stadium opened in 2003. Jim Schlossnagle took over as head coach the following season. Not only did he call Coleman’s outing the best out of a visiting pitcher that he could remember, but opened his postgame comments by declaring it one of the best games ever played at the park.
MSU proved its mettle against the Preseason No. 1 team in the country and the co-regular season Big 12 Champions. These two teams with nearly identical batting averages, runs scored, walks, and fielding percentage played like equals. They finished were separated by one run, one hit, and one man left on base.
Eierman referenced the 11-10 loss to Arkansas that wrapped up at 3 a.m. last weekend. It was a gut-punch of a defeat, but the Bears bounced back for a 3-2 win in the regional championship, closed by none other than Jordan Knutson. The Bears are in hostile territory again, and with a handful of players, including a starting pitcher, that are new to this stage of the season, they played like they belonged.
The MSU contingent was as vocal as any part of the park, and the Bears will need them just as much on Sunday. Guttin would not name a starter for Game 2, but Still seems to be the likely candidate. Like in 2015, MSU trails series 1-0, and like in 2015, home field advantage could be the difference for two even teams. Unlike 2015, the Bears surrendered a late one-run lead rather than taking a 16-run shellacking.
The remedy is still the same this time around: whoever gets the ball will need another herculean effort to keep the season alive.
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