Chippewas Fall To Mississippi State at NCAA Regionals
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State scored four runs on seven hits in the first inning and led 6-0 after three as it handed the Chippewas a 7-2 loss in the regional before 11,511 at the Bulldogs' Dudy Noble Field.
The loss ended CMU's win streak at 19 games and it sends the Chippewas to an elimination game on Sunday (3 p.m.) against Miami (Fla.). The winner faces Mississippi State in the championship game on Sunday at 9 p.m. A second title game, made necessary if Mississippi State loses the Sunday night game, is scheduled for Monday (7 p.m.).
CMU (47-13) opened the tournament on Friday with a 6-5 victory over Miami (39-19) and will have to win three consecutive games to capture the first regional title in program history.
Mississippi State (48-13), the No. 1 seed in the regional, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, and the fifth-ranked team in the country, batted around in seizing a 4-0 first-inning lead. The Bulldogs added two more in the third, chasing CMU starter Cam Brown who entered the game undefeated.
The 6-0 deficit proved too much for third-seeded CMU to overcome, though the Chippewas had their chances.
Jason Sullivan hit a two-run homer in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-2, and the Chippewas put two more runners on only to strand them when Evan Kratt grounded out to end the inning.
CMU loaded the bases in the seventh before Griffin Lockwood-Powell grounded into an inning-ending double play.
