OMAHA, Neb. — The Mississippi State baseball team staved off elimination once again to move within a game of the first national title in school history — in any team sport.
The Bulldogs pounded Vanderbilt to the tune of 14 hits and drew 10 walks for a 13-2 victory in Tuesday’s Game 2 of the best-of-three College World Series final at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
“I thought it was a bounce back,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis said. “We took a punch. We came back, played really good baseball.”
All traces of Vanderbilt’s domination in an 8-2 Commodores win in Game 1 were gone by the bottom of the third inning Tuesday, in which Mississippi State scored four runs and chased starter Christian Little from the game.
Freshman shortstop Lane Forsythe led the Bulldogs with three hits, while second baseman Scotty Dubrule, first baseman Luke Hancock and right fielder Tanner Allen each had two. Hancock and catcher Logan Tanner each drew three free passes on the night, and third Kamren James walked twice.
On the mound, the Bulldogs needed just two pitchers to force a Game 3. Houston Harding allowed one run across four strong innings on a home run by Vanderbilt catcher CJ Rodriguez, and backup catcher Maxwell Romano Jr. took Preston Johnson deep in the ninth.
But with a 13-1 lead before Romano ambushed his first pitch, Johnson nonchalantly waved goodbye to the baseball on its way out. He finished with seven strikeouts in five innings of relief, helping the Bulldogs keep their pitching staff mostly intact.
Will Bednar and Landon Sims figure to be in the mix for Mississippi State on Wednesday, while star Kumar Rocker is all but certain to go for Vanderbilt with relief ace Nick Maldonado possibly behind him.
The Commodores are seeking their second consecutive national title, while the Bulldogs will try to make history. Game 3 begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES GAME 3
■ WHO: No. 7 Mississippi State (49-18) vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt (49-17)
■ WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday
■ WHERE: TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Nebraska
■ HOW TO WATCH: ESPN2
■ HOW TO LISTEN: 100.9 FM
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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