STARKVILLE — Kellum Clark put his head down and jogged toward first base.
The Mississippi State right fielder nearly reached the bag before realizing catcher Logan Tanner still occupied it. Only then did Clark realize he’d just taken ball three, not ball four, from Princeton reliever Eric Hoefer.
“I got back in, and I was like, ‘Dude, if I strike out, I’m going to be mad,’” Clark said.
Clark had no need to worry. On the next pitch, he blasted a three-run home run over the right-field fence.
Once again Friday, Clark had gotten what he wanted.
Clark hit a pair of three-run homers, including his eighth-inning blast, and finished with seven RBIs as Mississippi State (8-7) routed Princeton (0-9) at Dudy Noble Field, 11-2. The sophomore has continued to break out of a considerable slump to start the 2022 campaign.
“He’s kept his head down and worked, and he’s done a nice job,” Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said.
Clark now has eight hits, including four home runs, in his past 24 at-bats after a frigid start to the season. The Brandon High School product began the year 0 for 16 over his first eight games before snapping the skid with an RBI base hit March 4 against Tulane on a 3-0 count.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes: getting a 3-0 green light and piecing up a ball to get some confidence,” Clark said.
Brimming with confidence after a productive week, Clark put Mississippi State ahead for good in the first inning, driving a no-doubt three-run homer into the stands in right center field. Clark, who wears the No. 11 jersey, even called his own number in a sense, driving the baseball directly over the “11 SEC championships” decal on the wall.
Clark added a sixth-inning RBI double, hitting the ball the other way to score Hunter Hines all the way from first base. All three of his hits Friday came with two outs.
“Two-out hitting was huge for us,” Lemonis said. “We haven’t had a lot of that this year.”
Tanner added a two-out single in the second inning as the Bulldogs increased their lead to three runs. Shortstop Lane Forsythe drove in two more in the third with a single through the left side, and center fielder Brad Cumbest went the other way for a solo home run in the fifth.
Princeton’s second run came on a double by Noah Granet in the sixth inning after Brendan Cumming hit a leadoff home run to begin the ballgame.
But that was all the damage against Mississippi State starter Preston Johnson, who finished six innings of two-run ball and struck out 10 Tigers. Johnson found a groove after allowing hits to each of the first three batters, though Kamren James — playing his first game in left field — threw one Princeton hitter out trying to stretch a single into a double.
“I thought Preston settled in and pitched really well,” Lemonis said.
Johnson started on Friday night for Mississippi State for the first time with ace right-hander Landon Sims out with an injury suffered March 4 at Tulane. Lemonis said the team will know more about Sims and injured relievers Stone Simmons and KC Hunt on Monday.
But Johnson helped the Bulldogs make up for their missing pieces with a third straight start of six or more innings and three or fewer runs.
“Going back to Friday night, that’s Landon’s job,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have to step up as a team and as a staff to get some wins under our belts and throw some good innings.”
Freshman Pico Kohn pitched two innings, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, and Drew Talley finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
It was a relatively drama-free win for Mississippi State, but it was what the Bulldogs needed after dropping their first two weekend series openers at Dudy Noble.
But MSU had to wait an extra day to go for a series win, announcing after Friday’s game that Saturday’s game was canceled due to cold weather. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday — featuring a nine-inning game and a seven-inning game — rather than trying to brave near-freezing temperatures.
“Putting guys out there and risking injury is not smart on our end,” Lemonis said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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