Tech, which is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1987, will play fourth-seeded Southeast Missouri State at 1:30 p.m.in an elimination game.
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The Bulldogs and Titans will resume the game at 10 a.m. Saturday and pick up with one out in the bottom of the seventh in a scoreless ball game between LA Tech and Fullerton. The Bulldogs can advance to a super regional with a win in that contest and another win in Sunday’s championship round.
Mississippi State head coach John Cohen is expected to send either freshman southpaw Konnor Pilkington, a former standout at East Central High, or junior Zac Houston to the mound Sunday night.
The play acted as redemption for the third baseman who committed two errors earlier in the game and went 0 for 4 at the plate. Though the Bulldogs have shown tremendous heights that they can reach, they have been decidedly average at times.
The Bulldogs were able to reach base five additional times on three walks and two hit-batsmen, but they finished 0-for-8 with runners on and 0-for-3 with runners ins coring position.
Phillip Diehl started and tied a career high with nine strikeouts in the fifth inning before leaving the game in the sixth with Nate Harris coming on in relief.
“We weren’t really uncomfortable being down like that because we had been down like that before”, Rooker said. They scored 52 runs in their five games in the conference tournament.
“Austin was just incredible”. State advances to the Regional final at 6:30 on Sunday night, and will play the victor of Cal State Fullerton vs. Louisiana Tech (to be played Sunday at 1:30).
“So we knew how to sit and wait in a dugout for hours and hours”. Blake was excellent out of the bullpen. “As long as we execute, it’s tough to hit us no matter what”. However, the pitching and defense was going to be the key. “It really switched momentum back to us”.
In the third inning, John Holland singled and Jack Kruger doubled for the Bulldogs.
He struck out three of the six batters he faced and recorded at least two strikeouts in four of the six innings he started. Ryan Gridley hit one hard that glanced off the glove of shortstop Richards and dribbled into left field. Gridley later took second on a wild pitch, and Jake Mangum delivered an RBI single to right to push State’s lead to 3-0.
Both teams combined for three hits through the first six and a half innings of play.
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Jacob Robson brought home Lowe with a double in the eighth. Mangum had two hits, but the Bulldogs overall had hits from eight of nine lineup spots.
