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Huge 8th inning sparks Mississippi State to incredible comeback win vs. Virginia
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Mississippi State Bulldogs looked like they were going to continue the SEC’s struggles in Omaha on Tuesday night. Earlier on Tuesday, Tennessee fell to Texas, eliminating the Vols from the College World Series. On Monday night, Vanderbilt was shut out 1-0 by NC State to force the Commodores into an elimination game on Wednesday.
Heading into the top of the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s game, Virginia held a 4-0 lead, thanks to a run in the first and 3 more in the second.
But, then, the Bulldogs got a spark. This catch by Mississippi State OF Brad Cumbest got the team back in the game emotionally:
?WHAT. A. CATCH.?
100% EFFORT!!#CWS x @HailStateBB x ? ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/AxU7oLwnyC
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2021
Then, in the top of the eighth, the bats finally came to life, too. It started with this 2-run home run by Kellum Clark:
Big hit from the kid ? pic.twitter.com/uisXOmSGOW
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) June 23, 2021
After a pitching change, SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen delivered a huge 3-run bomb to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead:
https://twitter.com/HailStateBB/status/1407518718436036610
By the end of the frame, the Bulldogs had a 6-4 lead over the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers didn’t go away, though, chipping away with a home run in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 6-5. That’s when Mississippi State closer Landon Sims came in.
Sims recorded the final out of the eighth inning then came back out to the mound for the bottom of the ninth.
Sims slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth to clinch a 6-5 win for the Bulldogs, keeping them in the winner’s bracket. The Bulldogs are now in the driver’s seat of their bracket to make the CWS finals.
In an interesting tidbit, Sims was Mississippi State’s eighth pitcher of the game, which tied a College World Series record.
The Bulldogs are now 2-0 in Omaha and won’t have to play until Friday. Meanwhile, Virginia will play Texas in an elimination game on Thursday.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
