For the second night in a row, late-game heroics from Connor Hujsak led the way for the No. 15 Mississippi State baseball team.
With round two of the SEC Tournament against No. 4 Texas A&M knotted up 3-3 in the top of the ninth inning, Hujsak stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. The senior center fielder knocked the ball between the Aggies’ shortstop and second baseman to put two go-ahead runs on the scoreboard. Texas A&M was unable to muster up anything offensively in the bottom of the ninth, sealing the game for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State struck first blood in the contest. A wild pitch by Texas A&M pitcher Brad Rudis allowed Amani Larry to reach home plate in the top of the second inning, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Chris Lemonis’ crew extended the advantage to 3-0 the very next inning courtesy of a David Mershon home run.
Texas A&M responded with a run in the bottom of the third. The Aggies evened up the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth as the pitching staff continued to keep Mississippi State off the board. Then the seal was broken by Hujsak, who was responsible for hitting a no-doubter home run to walk off Ole Miss on night one.
Now, the Bulldogs will look to continue to build their case to make Dudy Noble Field a host location for a regional in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball, Mississippi State’s RPI is now 19. An additional win in the SEC Tournament would essentially cement the Bulldogs as a regional host.
“It’s unbelievable. I mean, [hosting a regional] would be God’s gift right there. That’s what we’re shooting for. That’s what we’re playing for right now, and we know it,” Hujsak said on the SEC Network following Wednesday’s contest.
Mississippi State will continue conference tournament play Thursday night against Vanderbilt. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. central and can be watched on the SEC Network and listened to on participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
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