Late game madness dooms Mississippi State in brutal 3-2 loss to Georgia
A spirited reaction turned disastrous for Mississippi State on Saturday night and will have the home team’s backs against the wall on Sunday.
A play at the plate to end the eighth inning made by Johnny Long escalated into some physical contact and a heated situation between the two teams. It would ultimately lead to MSU losing six starters to ejections and UGA would hit a home run in the ninth to win 3-2.
With the lead run coming around third in the eighth, a throw got to Long in time and he made the tag on the runner at the plate. The aftereffects created one of the more bizarre scenes in recent memory.
Long’s physical contact after the play drew Georgia players towards home plate and MSU players followed from the field. A 40-minute review of the altercation led to Hunter Hines, Dakota Jordan, Long, Amani Larry and Logan Kohler being the known players ejected from the game and it left State with three freshmen reserves and two pitchers that had to hit in the last two innings.
In the meantime, UGA would get a solo home run from the seven hole hitter in the top of the ninth to break a tie and the visitors would strike out the side in the ninth with two coming against pitchers Luke Dotson and Khal Stephen.
It was a difficult outcome for a State team that has been competing at a high level this weekend. State scored two runs in the third inning on a single from Dakota Jordan but had been held down by the UGA pitching staff.
Top reliever Brian Zeldin threw 4.1 innings in relief and scattered three hits with no runs, two walks and eight strikeouts. MSU was strong in its own right as Jurrangelo Cijntje threw 5.0 innings in his start with five hits, two runs, zero walks and eight strikeouts.
Cijntje got himself into trouble in the first inning with the bases loaded and one out but surrendered just one run. He gave up a solo home run to Charlie Condon in the fifth, but was otherwise dominant in the other innings. Tyson Hardin and Nolan Stevens threw 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball with two hits, no runs, two walks and a strikeout, but Cam Schuelke gave up the winning run on a homer in the ninth.
State had seven hits in the game with a 2-for-3 night from Logan Kohler and Jordan drove in both runs.
The series evened up for the two teams but the deck is stacked against State heading into Sunday if the suspensions stand. MSU (20-12, 5-6 SEC) doesn’t have a starter yet announced on the mound and will be without at least six starters. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
