MSU BASEBALL WINS CHARLOTTEVILLE SUPER REGIONAL
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Omaha, the Bulldogs are coming back.
Mississippi State clinched its ninth appearance in the College World
Series with a dramatic 6-5 win over No. 6 national seed Virginia Monday
afternoon at Davenport Field to clinch the Charlottesville Super
Regional.
With the victory, the Bulldogs swept the Super Regional best-of-three
series and won its second-ever Super Regional in five career tries. MSU
advances to the College World Series for the first time since 2007 and
will play for a first-time in the new CWS home, T.D. Ameritrade Stadium.
MSU will face either Kansas State or Oregon State in an opening-round
of the eight-team, double-elimination CWS. The Bulldogs will play
either Saturday or Sunday. An official game day, game time and
television assignment is expected from the NCAA later Monday.
“It does without saying that Virginia is a great club,” MSU head coach
John Cohen said. “Virginia’s RPI is No. 2 in the country and they are a
really good club. I’m so proud of our guys. I think the thing that I’m
most proud of with our guys is they all wanted to be in Omaha but their
goal is to try and win the whole thing.
“They don’t see this as a job being finished. We’re excited but at the
same time, I think these kids still think we have some journey left to
go here.”
MSU held a 5-3 lead when the series clincher was suspended by rain in
the seventh inning Sunday night. Once play resumed Monday, the Bulldogs
expanded the lead before holding off a furious Cavaliers rally in the
ninth inning.
The story of the series clincher was the relief performance of Chad
Girodo. Trevor Fitts started on the mound for the Bulldogs and was
lifted with one out in the third inning and his team down 1-0.
From there, Girodo (8-1) sparkled in relief, allowing five hits and two
runs (both earned), with 10 strikeouts and two walks. In three regional
and super regional appearances, Girodo recorded 24 punch outs.
The Bulldogs (48-18) erased the 1-0 deficit with a single score in the
second inning and Wes Rea’s mammoth home run in the third inning. Rea
hit a two-run shot into the trees in left field. It was the Maroon and
White’s first postseason home run.
“We got to school in August and the guys just meshed well, Rea said.
“It felt like we have something special in the locker room and we’d
never really had that with a ballclub before. We knew going to Omaha
was our goal and if you don’t talk about your goals then you’re never
going to reach them. We’re not done yet, and we’re going to try to win
the whole thing with the same
approach.”
An inning later, the Bulldogs extended the lead to 5-1 and chased
Cavaliers’ ace Scott Silverstein (10-2). Silverstein allowed seven hits
and five runs (four earned), with one strikeout and three walks. The
Bulldogs battled at the plate and extended Silverstein’s outing, as the
fifth-year senior threw 71 pitches.
For the contest, MSU finished with 10 hits, after pounding out 20 hits
in an 11-6 win in the series opener Saturday. Frazier had two hits and
finished the Super Regional hitting at an 8-for-11 clip. Frazier is now
second on the all-time single season hits list at MSU with 102 hits,
one shy of the school record by Brian Wiese.
C.T. Bradford and Derrick Armstrong also had multiple hits.
Virginia (50-12) responded with two runs in the sixth inning. Nate
Irving lined a two-run double for the Cavaliers in that at-bat. Girodo
worked his squad out of that tight spot and with skies threatening
worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
After play was suspended, Hunter Renfroe got things stated in the home
half of the seventh inning with a leadoff triple for MSU. Renfroe
trotted home with an RBI-single by Bradford.
In relief, Jonathan Holder worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning but ran into
trouble in the ninth inning. The Bulldogs gave up two hits and a walk,
while also making an error on a potential game-ending ground ball.
Still, Holder regrouped and got a ground ball from Derek Fisher to end
the contest.
“We felt pretty good about our chances with Holder on the mound,”
Frazier said. “Even after those two things didn’t go our way in the
ninth and the tying run on third, you still feel really comfortable.”
As the last out was recorded, Holder pointed to the skies and Bulldog
players came from everywhere for a Maroon-clad dog pile on the
pitcher’s mound.
“Yeah, I thought we’d get here because it’s Mississippi State,” Cohen
said. “I really believe in our staff. The most important thing you do
as a staff is get the right people in our program. These are the right
kids. We have phenomenal kids.”
As the skies darkened again, the Bulldogs celebrated, a large Maroon
and White contingent chanted “S-E-C, S-E-C” and notice was served that
MSU was ready for college baseball’s biggest stage.
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