Mississippi State Baseball falls to Virginia in second game of regional

Mississippi State baseball suffered its first loss of regional play Saturday night. The Diamond Dawgs fell 5-4 to regional host Virginia. State held a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, but the Cavaliers would plate a pair of runs to tie the game. Virginia would later get the win on a walk-off fielder's choice in the 9th.

State seemed in control for much of the game

Through six innings, things were going really well for the Bulldogs. After getting down 2-0 early, State answered back with a monstrous 3-run shot from Hunter Hines in the 3rd.

A 4th inning throwing error on a pick-off attempt by UVA starting pitcher Evan Blanco would put State ahead 4-2. After a pair of well pitched innings on both sides, State went into the 7th still ahead by two.

Momentum shifted in the 7th inning

Things turned in the 7th. The Bulldogs had a pair of runners on with one out in the top of the 7th with David Mershon at the plate. Mershon got to a 3-1 count, and the next pitch was well high. It was a clear walk, but the umpire called a strike. Mershon would then get a warning for arguing and flyout on the next pitch.

Dakota Jordan would strike out to end things. Instead of facing bases loaded with one out and State on the verge of breaking things open, the Hoos got out of the inning, and their fans were back behind them. In the bottom of the 7th, Jurrangelo Cijntje began to lose his command. UVA got their first two batters on, moved them to scoring position, and then a single tied the game 4-4.

State would get out of that inning, but everything was trending in favor of the Cavaliers. In both the 8th and 9th, MSU would get a runner in scoring position. Neither time could they score that runner.

In the bottom of the 9th, MSU reliever Tyson Hardin would give up a leadoff double and walk to put two Cavs on with no outs. A fielder's choice would put runners on the corners. With one out, State got a bouncer to second. If Amani Larry cleanly fields the ball, he steps on second base and throws home for a potential game-saving double play.

Instead, Larry drops it, and the winning run scores. There's no certainty State would've gotten the out at home, but they would've had a chance. Ironically, the Bulldog infield had played outstanding defense up until that point.

Ultimately though, State had chances at the plate in the final innings to take back the game and failed to do so. Their inconsistencies at the plate hurt them once again. And you could absolutely argue a pitching change should've been made in the 7th before the UVA lineup found a spark.

Regardless, MSU easily could've won this game and been in the driver's seat in Charlottesville. Now, they have a long road ahead of them to advance.

Bulldogs rematch with St. John's in a Sunday elimination game

Mississippi State will get a rematch with St. John's in an elimination game Sunday morning. State defeated the Johnnie's 5-2 in extra innings Friday night behind the bat of Dakota Jordan. St. John's was involved in another extra inning game Saturday. Facing elimination against Penn, the Johnnies got a walk-off win in 12 innings.

Now both MSU and St. John's have been on the good and bad end of walk-offs in Charlottesville. We'll see if another exciting finish is in store on Sunday. First pitch is set for 11:00 am CT on ESPN+.