HOOVER, Alabama – No. 8 seed Mississippi State went just 3 for 14 with runners on base and hit into four double plays Thursday afternoon against top-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met. The Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State 5-3.
Sophomore Duke Stone got the start for Mississippi State (40-17) on the mound and surrendered four earned runs over 3 1/3 innings.
“We swung it pretty well. We just left some guys out there,” senior designated hitter Noah Sullivan said. “Certain situations happened, but we just have to be better offensively as a whole. There’s not one guy to just pinpoint, but we’ve just got to be a better offense.”
Back-to-back Georgia (44-12) singles and a hit-by-pitch with one out in the second inning loaded the bases, and Kolby Branch drove in the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly. Mississippi State sophomore catcher Chone James tied the game with an RBI single in the top of the third.
Georgia’s Brennan Hudson broke the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run home run into the rightfield bullpen. Freshman Jack Bauer took over and pitched the next 2 2/3 innings, surrendering one hit with a pair of strikeouts.
Mississippi State junior third baseman Ace Reese trimmed the deficit with an RBI single in the sixth, but a bases-loaded, two-out walk to Georgia’s Kenny Ishikawa in the bottom of the seventh opened the lead back up to three.
A towering solo home run from Sullivan leading off the top of the ninth cut Georgia’s lead back down to two, but senior pinch-hitter Blake Bevis grounded out with two outs and a runner on first to end the game.
Mississippi State awaits its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be announced Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. The Bulldogs are looking to host their first NCAA Regional since 2021.
“It’s razor thin. I’ve been in this situation many times that it’s razor thin on whether or not you host or not. I don’t think this loss has really anything to do with it,” Mississippi State head coach Brian O’Connor said. “This team certainly is fully capable, and I think I believe that we’ve earned that right to play at home.”
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