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ATHENS, GA — Tomas Valincius had very few issues with his first trip through Georgia baseball's batting order in the super regional Game 1.
Mississippi State's ace pitcher only allowed one batter to reach base through the first three innings.
But everything changed in the fourth inning, even after No. 14 MSU took a seven-run lead. That's when No. 3 Georgia's onslaught began, scoring 13 runs in the next five innings to win Game 1 of the Athens Super Regional, 13-12, at Foley Field on June 6.
It ended as the worst start of the season for Valincius (11-2, 3.97 ERA) with a season-high seven runs allowed in 4⅓ innings. The relief pitchers who followed him struggled to get outs. And with a bullpen that's been a weakness, Mississippi State is in a precarious spot with the season on the line.
MSU (43-18) must beat Georgia (50-12) twice in a row to make the College World Series with Game 2 on June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN).
That means someone from the bullpen will need to pitch shutdown innings, which has been difficult for MSU to find this season against Georgia's elite offense. Mississippi State is 0-5 vs Georgia this season.
The Game 1 loss also dropped Mississippi State to 4-8 in one-run games.
"Obviously you can't feel great, right?" first-year Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor said about his bullpen status for Game 2. "We just couldn't hold them down. We needed somebody to go out there and just kind of hold the game a little bit for more than one inning, and we didn't do that.
"That said, we have more guys available. We'll pour everything into tomorrow and do whatever it takes to win tomorrow and get to a Monday game. And then, it's all hands on deck."
MSU used four relievers in Game 1 — Jack Bauer, Ben Davis, Dane Burns and Maddox Webb — but all of them struggled except for Webb, who got one out on eight pitches. Burns allowed the go-ahead three-run home run by Michael O'Shaughnessy in the eighth inning.
That means key relievers like Tyler Pitzer, Maddox Miller and Jack Gleason haven't been used yet.
MORE: Mississippi State baseball lands first transfer after Game 1 super regional loss vs Georgia
Mississippi State will start Ryan McPherson (4-1, 2.81 ERA) with Duke Stone, MSU's third starting pitcher, as the wildcard. Stone could come out of the bullpen when McPherson is done. He warmed up in the bullpen during Game 1 but did not enter.
"He needs to get us off to a good start and attack them," O'Connor said of McPherson.
Georgia will counter with Caden Aoki (9-1, 3.86 ERA) who began the season as a reliever but frequently has started games late in the season.
He faced Mississippi State twice earlier this season, but both as a reliever. He combined in 4⅓ innings to allow one earned run with both appearances in the April series at Dudy Noble Field.
But if Mississippi State can't get better pitching in Game 2, it will have to win another high-scoring game that probably favors Georgia.
Georgia scored 13 runs in Game 1 without suspended All-SEC third baseman Tre Phelps, who returns in Game 2.
"I think both teams know each team's secret now," Georgia coach Wes Johnson said. "After five (games), we're not going to fool anybody. So now, it's really coming down to who can execute the most pitches at a certain time in 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 pitching plans unpacked for Georgia Game 2
Continue reading...
Mississippi State's ace pitcher only allowed one batter to reach base through the first three innings.
But everything changed in the fourth inning, even after No. 14 MSU took a seven-run lead. That's when No. 3 Georgia's onslaught began, scoring 13 runs in the next five innings to win Game 1 of the Athens Super Regional, 13-12, at Foley Field on June 6.
It ended as the worst start of the season for Valincius (11-2, 3.97 ERA) with a season-high seven runs allowed in 4⅓ innings. The relief pitchers who followed him struggled to get outs. And with a bullpen that's been a weakness, Mississippi State is in a precarious spot with the season on the line.
MSU (43-18) must beat Georgia (50-12) twice in a row to make the College World Series with Game 2 on June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN).
That means someone from the bullpen will need to pitch shutdown innings, which has been difficult for MSU to find this season against Georgia's elite offense. Mississippi State is 0-5 vs Georgia this season.
The Game 1 loss also dropped Mississippi State to 4-8 in one-run games.
"Obviously you can't feel great, right?" first-year Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor said about his bullpen status for Game 2. "We just couldn't hold them down. We needed somebody to go out there and just kind of hold the game a little bit for more than one inning, and we didn't do that.
"That said, we have more guys available. We'll pour everything into tomorrow and do whatever it takes to win tomorrow and get to a Monday game. And then, it's all hands on deck."
Mississippi State's pitching status for Game 2 vs Georgia
MSU used four relievers in Game 1 — Jack Bauer, Ben Davis, Dane Burns and Maddox Webb — but all of them struggled except for Webb, who got one out on eight pitches. Burns allowed the go-ahead three-run home run by Michael O'Shaughnessy in the eighth inning.
That means key relievers like Tyler Pitzer, Maddox Miller and Jack Gleason haven't been used yet.
MORE: Mississippi State baseball lands first transfer after Game 1 super regional loss vs Georgia
Mississippi State will start Ryan McPherson (4-1, 2.81 ERA) with Duke Stone, MSU's third starting pitcher, as the wildcard. Stone could come out of the bullpen when McPherson is done. He warmed up in the bullpen during Game 1 but did not enter.
"He needs to get us off to a good start and attack them," O'Connor said of McPherson.
Georgia will counter with Caden Aoki (9-1, 3.86 ERA) who began the season as a reliever but frequently has started games late in the season.
He faced Mississippi State twice earlier this season, but both as a reliever. He combined in 4⅓ innings to allow one earned run with both appearances in the April series at Dudy Noble Field.
But if Mississippi State can't get better pitching in Game 2, it will have to win another high-scoring game that probably favors Georgia.
Georgia scored 13 runs in Game 1 without suspended All-SEC third baseman Tre Phelps, who returns in Game 2.
"I think both teams know each team's secret now," Georgia coach Wes Johnson said. "After five (games), we're not going to fool anybody. So now, it's really coming down to who can execute the most pitches at a certain time in 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 pitching plans unpacked for Georgia Game 2
Continue reading...
