The paradox, “when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object,” came to mind when watching Mississippi State and Georgia play in game one of the Athens Super Regional on Saturday. But deciphering which one is which is above the pay grade of this journalist.
Either way, Georgia was the team that couldn’t be stopped – or moved, or whatever verb you want to throw in there. In a game that featured a combined 11 home runs, no hitters failing to reach base, and 25 total runs, the Bulldogs of Athens won 13-12.
Mississippi State jumped out to a 7-0 lead, courtesy of a six-run second inning and a one-run top of the fourth. Georgia, the best hitting team in the SEC and one of the timeliest in the entire country, made overcoming the initial deficit look easy.
A five-run bottom of the fourth and a four-run bottom of the fifth put Georgia up 9-7.
But Mississippi State, which outscored regional opponents 39-11 a weekend ago, kept its bats hot with back-to-back Kevin Milewski and Gehrig Frei home runs in the top of the sixth, tying the game at 9-9.
Georgia regained the lead on a Rylan Lujo solo shot in the bottom of the sixth – Lujo’s second of the game. Ryder Woodson evened the score and matched Lujo with his second long ball of the day in the top of the seventh. Mississippi State then extended its lead to 12-10 in the top of the eighth on an Ace Reese home run and a Milewski hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
Holding a two-run lead with six outs left to get, Mississippi State’s relievers couldn’t slow down a Georgia offense that had put up 12 or more runs 18 times going into the contest. In the bottom of the eighth, Ben Davis allowed two runners to get on base before Dane Burns stepped onto the bump. On Burns’ second pitch, Michael O’Shaugnessy hit a home run over the center field fence to give Georgia a 13-12 lead.
Mississippi State managed two runners in the top of the ninth but was closed out by Justin Byrd, who nabbed his eighth save of the season.
Slugfest in Athens
Those wanting a slugfest got their wish. Mississippi State (6) and Georgia (5) combined for 11 home runs – the most in a super regional game since Alabama and Wake Forest combined for 13 on June 11, 2023.
Hitting long balls for Mississippi State were Stallman (2), Milewski (2), Frei, and Reese. The home run for Reese was his 23rd of the season, tying him for fifth-most in a Mississippi State season.
Those who sent it out of the park for Georgia were Lujo (2), O’Shaughnessy (2), and SEC Player of the Year Daniel Jackson. Jackson’s fourth-inning blast was his 30th of the season, fourth-most in the country. O’Shaughnessy, who hit one over the right-field wall before his go-ahead shot in the eighth inning, was notably filling in at third base for a suspended Tre Phelps.
Not a pitcher’s day
Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius and Georgia’s Joey Volchko are usually two of the top pitchers in the SEC. However, neither could control the opposing team’s offense on Saturday.
For the first time in his career, including his freshman season at Virginia, Valincius gave up more than five runs. He left the game in the bottom of the fifth when the score was 7-7, avoiding the L in the box score.
Volchko was pulled in the fifth after Mississippi State scored seven, four of which were earned.
The bullpens weren’t much better, but coming away with the win after a much-needed out in the eighth was Grant Edwards (1-1). Mississippi State’s Burns (2-1) took the loss after giving up the go-ahead home run.
Next up
Game two of the Athens Super Regional will happen Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
If Georgia (50-12) wins, it will advance to its first College World Series since 2008. If Mississippi State (43-18) wins, it forces a winner-take-all game that will be played Monday at a time to be determined.
