No. 17 Mississippi State’s run in the SEC Tournament has come to an end as the maroon and white fell to No. 4 Georgia, 5-3, on Thursday.
After beating Missouri, 12-2, on Wednesday, Mississippi State was unable to keep the momentum alive in the second round. The loss marked the fourth time this season the Bulldogs have lost to their mascot counterparts from Athens.
Georgia’s Brennan Hudson had a three-run homer in the contest, while Ryan Wynn had two hits to lead SEC Coach of the Year Wes Johnson’s club. Noah Sullivan led Mississippi State with two hits, one of which was a ninth inning solo shot, while Reed Stallman had two hits.
Georgia (44-12), the tournament’s top seed, struck first blood in the bottom of the second with a Kolby Branch sacrifice fly that scored Kenny Ishikawa. Mississippi State (40-17), the 8-seed, neutralized the scoreboard in the top of the third when reserve catcher Chone James hit an RBI single that scored Ryder Woodson.
Hudson’s long ball broke the stalemate in the bottom of the fourth inning and gave Georgia a lead it would not relinquish. Mississippi State tacked on two more runs in the contest, one being an Ace Reese RBI single that scored Gehrig Frei and the other being Sullivan’s solo shot. But the maroon and white also gifted Georgia its fifth run when reliever Dane Burns walked a batter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.
Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko (9-2) was credited with the win. The star right-hander only struck out one batter but effectively pitched to contact, allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings. Matt Scott earned the save after fanning three batters and surrendering just one run on two hits in four innings.
For Mississippi State, starter Duke Stone (6-3) was tabbed with the loss. He struck out four batters while allowing four runs on six hits in 3.1 innings versus one of the nation’s top offenses. Freshman sensation Jack Bauer got some run, coming in for Stone in relief. The lefty cruised through two scoreless innings but found himself in a jam in the seventh inning and had to be pulled.
On the automated ball-strike system front, Mississippi State had three successful challenges on five attempts, while Georgia only had one correct appeal on three attempts.
Next up
Mississippi State has been eliminated from the SEC Tournament and will learn its NCAA Tournament fate on Monday. As things stand, the Bulldogs are all but a lock to host a regional at Dudy Noble Field.
