ATHENS, Ga. — For the first time in 18 years, Georgia will be headed to the College World Series.
For the second straight day, the Bulldogs rallied late to beat Mississippi State, this time taking an 11-9 win in 1 innings in Game 2 of the two teams’ Super Regional at Foley Field on Sunday to complete a two-game sweep. They rallied from seven runs down on Saturday for a 13-12 win.
Georgia will head to Omaha next weekend as the top-seeded team left in the NCAA tournament.
The Georgia offense went to work quickly in the first. Tre Phelps walked to lead off the game and eventually came around to score on a sac fly by Rylan Lujo. Daniel Jackson singled after the walk to Phelps and he also came around to score on a RBI groundout by Ryan Wynn for a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 4-0 in the second on a Kolby Branch home run and then a bases-loaded walk to Kenny Ishikawa, scoring Ryan Black.
Meanwhile, Georgia starter Caden Aoki worked around a two-out double in the first but ran into trouble in the second. Kevin Milewski continued his torrid pace for Mississippi State, belting his third homer of the series, a two-run shot to cut the lead to 4-2.
From there, Aoki retired nine straight into the fifth as the Georgia offense once again answered. Brennan Hudson homered to right-center in the third and Michael O'Shaughnessy knocked in a run with a sac fly in the fourth to push the lead to 6-2.
State did not get another runner on until a two-out error in the fifth. But Aoki got out of the jam, striking out Noah Sullivan with two runners on to end the inning. However, with one out in the sixth, Vytas Valincius closed the gap to 7-3 for State with a solo home run to right.
Aoki went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with 9 strikeouts for Georgia and was lifted with two runners on and two out in the sixth. Reliever Zach Brown needed one pitch to get out of the jam to preserve a 7-4 lead.
Georgia extended the lead to 8-4 on Branch’s second solo home run of the game in the seventh.
Mississippi State did not go away, however. Ace Reese, Sullivan, and Jacob Parker opened the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back-to-back home runs off Brown to pull within 8-7 with no one out. Matt Scott took over for Brown and got out of a huge jam with Georgia clinging to an 8-7 lead heading to the eighth.
Georgia threatened in the top of the eighth but could add on to its lead.
State took advantage. Reese doubled with one out and Parker mashed a long home run to center to give them a 9-8 lead heading to the ninth.
Georgia answered right back. Hudson tied the game in the top of the ninth with an RBI single to right, beating a shift by the Mississippi State defense to score Ishikawa, who walked to lead off the inning.
In the 10th, Jackson struck again, cranking his second home run of the series, a two-run shot to deep left to give Georgia an 11-9 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Georgia closer Justin Byrd took over and fanned two batters, including Parker with a pair of runners on base, to end the game and send the Bulldogs to Omaha.
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