For the second straight night, Connor Hujsak delivered the game-winning blow, this time a two-out, two-run ninth-inning single to center as Mississippi State defeated Texas A&M 5-3 Wednesday night at the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. With the win, the Diamond Dogs improved to 38-19 and plays a winner's bracket game against Vanderbilt Thursday night.
Texas A&M right hander Brad Rudis took the ball for the Aggies' first game in Day 2 of the Southeastern Conference Tournament Wednesday night. Bryce Chance was retired on a fly out to center to start the game. David Mershon reached on an infield hit to shortstop. Hunter Hines struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Dakota Jordan lined out to left to bring TAMU to the plate. Diamond Dog right hander Khal Stephen earned the start for State. He set the Aggies down in order.
Connor Hujsak hit a comebacker to Rudis for the first out of the second. Amani Larry singled off the shortstop's glove to get on base. Logan Kohler then doubled into the right field corner and MSU had two in scoring position. Joe Powell struck out for the second out of the inning. Larry scored on a Rudis wild pitch and State had a 1-0 lead. Johnny Long flied out to short right to end the top half. Stephen got two grounders and a fly ball to center to retire the Aggies in order.
Left hander Kaiden Wilson entered for TAMU in the third. Chance greeted him with a line single to center. Mershon followed with a line drive home run to left. Mississippi State had extended its lead to 3-0. Hines struck out on a failed check swing for the first out. Jordan rolled out to short. Hujsak reached on a hit by pitch to keep the inning alive. Larry singled past third and the Bulldogs had two runners aboard. But in a left-on-left situation, Kohler fanned. Leading off the third for A&M, Ali Camarillo lined a double off the base of the fence in left. Stephen hit the 8-hole hitter and the Aggies had their first two on. After the first out of the frame was registered, a double steal put Aggies at second and third. A full-count walk loaded the bases. A fielder's choice put out at second accounted for the second out of the inning but A&M had cut into State's lead, 3-1. Another grounder ended the bottom of the third.
Powell started the fourth with a soft fly out to left and Long struck out swinging. With two down, Chance walked to get Mershon to the plate. Mershon delivered his third hit of the night, a double just inside the third base line. Chance was stopped at third. Hines struck out for the third time in four innings. Stephen set TAMU down 1,2,3 in the bottom half.
In an obvious bullpen game, A&M brought on right hander Zane Badmaev to begin the fifth. Jordan grounded out to short to start things. For the second time in the game, Hujsak took a hit by pitch to get on base. Larry got his third hit, slipping a single under the glove of the TAMU shortstop to put two Bulldogs on. Kohler's fielder's choice to second had MSU runners on the corners. But Powell's one-hopper to third retired the side. In the Aggie half, Camarillo blooped a single over Larry's head at second. With two down, Camarillo advanced to second on Stephen's throwing error on a pick off attempt. Despite the errant toss to first, Stephen fanned the side to keep it 3-1 through five.
The Bulldogs went down in order in the top of the sixth. Jace LaViolette walked to lead off the bottom half and then stole second. Braden Montgomery laced a single to right and the Aggies had runners at the corners with nobody out. At that point, Mississippi State turned to right hander Tyson Hardin out of the bullpen. A sacrifice fly got the first out of the inning, but A&M's second run of the night. Hayden Schott lined a double to the fence in left-center, scoring Montgomery, and tying the game at 3. A walk put two on. A balk moved the runners to second and third. Hardin finally induced a fly out to left to end the inning.
Chris Cortez entered for TAMU in the seventh. Hines struck out for the fourth time. Jordan and Hujsak followed suit. Nate Dohm took over for Hardin in the home half of the seventh. He retired the Aggies in order, moving the game along to the eighth.
Larry flied out to left to begin the inning. Kohler and Powell both looked at called third strikes. Dohm gave up a two-out double just inside the third base line to Ted Burton. A roller to first eliminated the threat.
Long tapped back to the mound for the first out of the ninth. Chance and Mershon reached successively when each was hit by a pitch. Following Cortez's misguided missiles, A&M brought in left hander Evan Aschenbeck. Hines reached on a throwing error by the pitcher and Mississippi State had the bases loaded. Jordan's soft fly to right was not deep enough to score Chance from third. Hujsak's single to center scored Chance and Mershon, and MSU had a 5-3 lead. Tyler Davis was summoned to shut down the win for State, which he did, retiring the Aggies in order in the ninth.
Wednesday box and notes to come.
