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ATHENS, GA — Mississippi State baseball was rolling through Game 1 of the NCAA super regional before everything started to unravel in the fourth inning.
The No. 14 Bulldogs (43-18) blew a seven-run lead to ultimately lose 13-12 at No. 3 Georgia (50-12) in the Athens Super Regional on June 6.
It started with Tomas Valincius' worst pitching start of the season, followed by the next three relief pitchers all surrendering runs.
According to ESPN, it was only the second time a team came back to win a super regional game in the NCAA Tournament after trailing by at least seven runs.
"We just didn't do enough on the mound executing," MSU first-year coach Brian O'Connor said. "You can't try to do more. You can't try to throw the ball harder. You just got to be a little bit sharper and execute a little bit more."
Valincius (11-2, 3.97 ERA) allowed seven earned runs, a season high, as MSU's 7-0 lead vanished into a 9-7 deficit by the fifth inning.
Mississippi State had 15 hits and six home runs, but the bullpen struggled, too. Georgia was even without All-SEC third baseman Tre Phelps, who was suspended for the first game after getting ejected in regionals.
Jack Bauer replaced Valincius, allowing three runs in 1⅔ innings. Then, Ben Davis gave up two runs in 1⅓ innings and Dane Burns was charged with one run in ⅓ inning.
MORE: Why Gehrig Frei's parents named Mississippi State leadoff batter after Lou Gehrig
MSU was ahead 12-10 in the eighth inning when Georgia got the first two batters on base from a hit by pitch and single off Davis. Burns replaced him, and immediately surrendered a go-ahead three-run home run by Michael O'Shaughnessy, his second homer of the game.
"We had Burns identified to face O'Shaughnessy obviously with the things we've seen out of them the last four games," O'Connor said. "... You're just hoping and believing that Burns can get O'Shaughnessy and then go from there. He had a strike on him and unfortunately left the ball up and O'Shaughnessy made him pay for it."
The loss for MSU was its fifth of the season against Georgia in as many games. Georgia also swept MSU at Dudy Noble Field in April and beat MSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
All of the games have been decided by three runs or less.
MSU will need to beat Georgia June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) and June 8 (TBA) to make the College World Series for the first time since the 2021 national championship.
"We're right there," O'Connor said. "There's no consolation prizes. We don't look at it as you got to get over the hump against Georgia. It's a baseball game. Guys aren't saying 'Oh my gosh, how do we do this?' They're just playing the game."
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball reaction to blown 7-run lead vs Goergia
Continue reading...
The No. 14 Bulldogs (43-18) blew a seven-run lead to ultimately lose 13-12 at No. 3 Georgia (50-12) in the Athens Super Regional on June 6.
It started with Tomas Valincius' worst pitching start of the season, followed by the next three relief pitchers all surrendering runs.
According to ESPN, it was only the second time a team came back to win a super regional game in the NCAA Tournament after trailing by at least seven runs.
"We just didn't do enough on the mound executing," MSU first-year coach Brian O'Connor said. "You can't try to do more. You can't try to throw the ball harder. You just got to be a little bit sharper and execute a little bit more."
Valincius (11-2, 3.97 ERA) allowed seven earned runs, a season high, as MSU's 7-0 lead vanished into a 9-7 deficit by the fifth inning.
Mississippi State had 15 hits and six home runs, but the bullpen struggled, too. Georgia was even without All-SEC third baseman Tre Phelps, who was suspended for the first game after getting ejected in regionals.
Jack Bauer replaced Valincius, allowing three runs in 1⅔ innings. Then, Ben Davis gave up two runs in 1⅓ innings and Dane Burns was charged with one run in ⅓ inning.
MORE: Why Gehrig Frei's parents named Mississippi State leadoff batter after Lou Gehrig
MSU was ahead 12-10 in the eighth inning when Georgia got the first two batters on base from a hit by pitch and single off Davis. Burns replaced him, and immediately surrendered a go-ahead three-run home run by Michael O'Shaughnessy, his second homer of the game.
"We had Burns identified to face O'Shaughnessy obviously with the things we've seen out of them the last four games," O'Connor said. "... You're just hoping and believing that Burns can get O'Shaughnessy and then go from there. He had a strike on him and unfortunately left the ball up and O'Shaughnessy made him pay for it."
Mississippi State 0-5 against Georgia this season
The loss for MSU was its fifth of the season against Georgia in as many games. Georgia also swept MSU at Dudy Noble Field in April and beat MSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
All of the games have been decided by three runs or less.
MSU will need to beat Georgia June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) and June 8 (TBA) to make the College World Series for the first time since the 2021 national championship.
"We're right there," O'Connor said. "There's no consolation prizes. We don't look at it as you got to get over the hump against Georgia. It's a baseball game. Guys aren't saying 'Oh my gosh, how do we do this?' They're just playing the game."
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State baseball reaction to blown 7-run lead vs Goergia
Continue reading...
