Freshman Christian Little starts Game 2 for Vandy; Senior Houston Harding is pitching for MSU.
Vandy went down 1-2-3 in T1, and the Bulldogs would have had the same fate in B1 ... except for a high throw by the Commodore 3rd baseman. (That runner then scored an unearned run when Vandy's RF overthrew the cutoff man on a sharp single down the line.)
First Mississippi State batter in B3 hits a bouncing grounder a little to the Vandy shortstop's right. He charges and snags it ... but doesn't make the throw. For a moment he looks around, wondering where the ball was. Then he sees it: stuck in the webbing of his glove!
It was called a hit, but really?
Let down again by his defense, Little loses his pitch control, walking the next three batters, the last one that drove in a run on four not-close pitches. He's relieved.
2-1, MSU ... bases still loaded and no outs in B3.
Next batter slaps a 1-1 pitch up the middle. But instead of a double play, the ball ricochets off the pitcher foot into right field, for a 2-run single!
4-1, MSU ... still no outs.
(This post was last modified: 06-29-2021 09:14 PM by Almadenmike.)
5-1 after 3 innings. The final run scored on a bases loaded wild pitch that caromed off the catchers glove.
And, geez, I disagree with some of the above description. That 2-RBI single would NOT have been a double play ball had it not caromed off the pitch. It was smoked up the middle, and likely would have made it through. Also, MSU's first run scored on a perfectly executed hit and run. Yes, the RFer missed the cut-off man, but he did cut off from being a double, and it's not clear the runner would not have scored regardless; it would have had to have been a perfect throw from the cut-off man.
(06-29-2021 09:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote: And, geez, I disagree with some of the above description. ... MSU's first run scored on a perfectly executed hit and run. Yes, the RFer missed the cut-off man, but he did cut off from being a double, and it's not clear the runner would not have scored regardless; it would have had to have been a perfect throw from the cut-off man.
I was going by the ESPN announcers, who said the MSU 3rd base coach didn't start windmilling until he saw that the relay throw was too high to hit the cutoff man.
(06-29-2021 09:48 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote: That 2-RBI single would NOT have been a double play ball had it not caromed off the pitch. It was smoked up the middle, and likely would have made it through.
Possibly, even probably. But Vandy's SS and 2B were converging on 2nd base and might have been able to make the play.
Rice gets two mentions in tonight's ESPN telecast of Mississippi State's blowout win:
1) By the 7th inning, Vandy had walked 10 batters. The record for a CWS final was said to be 12 ... Stanford's gifts to the Owls in our 14-2 win in 2003.
2) Speaking of which, Jeremy Mills told the ESPN crew that the only other double digit win in a CWS finals was -- you guessed it! -- Rice's 14-2 victory over Stanford in 2003. :-)
As grol said in his post (#204), which I've just now seeing, the score at that time was 13-1. But in T9, Vandy's second catcher hit a 2-out HR to narrow the Bulldogs' lead to 13-2, which is the final score. Still double digits ... but our 12-run-margin record will stand for at least another game. :-)
Game 3 will feature, according to tonight's ESPN's commentators, both teams' aces (Vandy's Rocker & MSU's Bednar) with "loaded bullpens". Should be a fun final-final game.
(This post was last modified: 06-29-2021 11:44 PM by Almadenmike.)
Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
(06-30-2021 07:22 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
(06-30-2021 07:22 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
Wow, that actually gives me a bit of a reason to root for MSU.
(06-30-2021 07:22 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
During Tuesday's game, ESPN showed a graphic that said two other P5 schools have also never won any NCAA championship: Kansas State and Virginia Tech.
(06-30-2021 07:22 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
Wow, that actually gives me a bit of a reason to root for MSU.
I still hear the cowbells clanging from 2013...
One of the most miserable football games of my life.
The bone-chilling cold, and those damn cowbells...
I've only watched snippets of the Vandy v MS State series, but I haven't noticed the cowbells in those brief viewings. Did the State fans forget them in their rush to Omaha? Did the NCAA/TDA Park ban them? Have the State fans become more considerate of others in the stands and at home? Is ESPN filtering out the cowbells so you can hear their "analysts" drone on? I miss Harold Reynolds.
(06-30-2021 10:32 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote: I've only watched snippets of the Vandy v MS State series, but I haven't noticed the cowbells in those brief viewings. Did the State fans forget them in their rush to Omaha? Did the NCAA/TDA Park ban them? Have the State fans become more considerate of others in the stands and at home? Is ESPN filtering out the cowbells so you can hear their "analysts" drone on? I miss Harold Reynolds.
Can't hear the cow bells, but a number of signs held up by fans make reference to them...but the MSU fan base in Omaha is certainly loud and SEC raucous. You'd think they were playing at home given their noise level vs. Vandy supporters.
(This post was last modified: 06-30-2021 11:11 AM by waltgreenberg.)
Dak was highly visible at yesterday's game, and eventually made his way into the MSU dugout by the 7th inning. Still no sign of Will Clark or Raphael Palmero.
(06-30-2021 11:38 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Dak was highly visible at yesterday's game, and eventually made his way into the MSU dugout by the 7th inning. Still no sign of Will Clark or Raphael Palmero.
Clay Travis posted a photo on Twitter of Palmero at the game on Monday FWIW.
(06-30-2021 11:35 AM)Uncle Benjamin Wrote: The NCAA does not allow artificial noisemakers at its championships. If only they’d outlaw the whistlers…
Too bad such a rule didn’t apply to bowl games as well.
I have no problem with a fan base being loud and proud, bur I’m glad the artificial means are banned. The State fans certainly haven’t needed the cowbells to make their presence known. Good for them.
(06-30-2021 07:22 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Another reason to root for MSU over Vandy-- as hard as it is to believe, as was the case with Rice back in 2003, the Cow Bells (with 15 D1 sports) have never won an NCAA championship of any kind in school history.
Wow, that actually gives me a bit of a reason to root for MSU.
I still hear the cowbells clanging from 2013...
One of the most miserable football games of my life.
The bone-chilling cold, and those damn cowbells...
...and then the game.
Gives a whole new dimension to the classic SNL skit:
MSU's starting LFer (Cumbest) is out for tonight's game after getting hit in the wrist last night. So instead of a guy who hit .306 (.375 OBP), we get a guy who hit .219 (.313 OBP).