Mississippi State 4, Florida State 3
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Mississippi State faced an uphill battle if it wanted to reach the NCAA Super Regionals on Sunday.
Needing to defeat No. 2 Florida State twice on its home field, the Bulldogs climbed the mountain and made school history in the process.
After topping the Seminoles in the first game Sunday, State took the second contest to advance to the program's first-ever super regional.
State became the first team in the history of the tournament to eliminate a No. 2 national seed in the regional round.
To have such an opportunity, it took every bit of Bulldog grit and toughness to emerge triumphantly from the Tallahassee Regional. State dropped its opening game on Friday, then stormed back through the loser's bracket with two wins on Saturday ahead of the two on Sunday.
Heroes were everywhere in Sunday's clincher. Willis earned the win, tossing five scoreless innings of relief from the circle. Down 3-1 in the fifth, Shea Moreno delivered an RBI base hit, and Chloe Malau'ulu delivered what turned out to be the game-winning swing with a two-run single. Matalasi Faapito had earlier driven home State's first run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Aspen Wesley shut out and claimed a victory against the Seminoles as she allowed just two hits and three baserunners.
It marked the first time in program history that MSU shut out an NFCA top three team and its first top three win since 2016.
Davidson got
things started with a solo homer in the third, and Paige Cook brought a runner home with a ground out later in the frame.
In the sixth, State extended its lead over the Seminoles on a single from Jackie Mckenna, a basesloaded walk from Madisyn Kennedy and Riley Hull's sacrifice fly.
The win snapped Florida State's 24-game regional winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the nation. The Seminoles were one of three teams entering the day that had not allowed a run in regional play this year.
– Behind a complete-game, four-hit effort from Willis, Mississippi State advanced to the Tallahassee Regional finals with a victory over South Florida.
State avenged its regional opening loss to the Bulls and advanced to Sunday regional finals in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. It marks the second time that MSU has come back through the loser's bracket after starting 0-1 (2018).
Willis threw a complete game and her 11th career shutout. She had early run support with the help of two unearned runs in the second. State also added runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh frames.
Brylie St. Clair and Malau'ulu carried over their impressive play from the day's first game against Howard. St. Clair turned in her second straight multi-hit game and 10th of the year while driving in two runs. Malau'ulu picked up a base hit and stole her third base of the day. Meanwhile, Faapito delivered the biggest swing of the game with a solo homer in the fourth that made the score 3-0.
Davidson brought home an insurance run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly. Addison Purvis also turned in a two-hit day, including a double, and Hull reached in three of four trips with two hits and a run-scoring error. She was only retired on a sacrifice fly that extended the lead in the seventh.