N.C. State bounced by virus

OMAHA, Neb. — North Carolina State baseball players who were one win away from playing for a national championship reacted with anger and confusion to their team’s removal from the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., because of COVID19 protocols.

Vanderbilt advanced to the CWS finals after the NCAA announced early Saturday that the Wolfpack would not be allowed to continue in the tournament. The Commodores will meet Mississippi State in the bestofthree finals starting Monday.

N.C. State had only 13 players available during its 31 loss to Vanderbilt on Friday. The teams had been scheduled to meet again Saturday in a winnertakeall Bracket 1 final.

The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee declared that game a nocontest.

“This decision was made based on the recommendation of the Championship Medical Team and the Douglas County Health Department,” the NCAA said in a statement. “As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS Finals. N.C. State made the CWS for the third time, and first since 2013, and beat Stanford 104 in its opener and Vanderbilt 10 in its second game to reach the Bracket 1 final.

Matt Willadsen, who had been the scheduled starter Friday but did not pitch, tweeted he would never forget the feeling of hearing the news.

“Our coaching staff deserve better. Us players deserve better. Our fans deserve better. Everyone that believed in us deserve better. We all deserve better. @NCAACWS you have ruined the biggest moment of our player’s lives so far. What a joke.”

Mississippi State 4, Texas 3: Tanner Leggett’s single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored the tiebreaking run, and the Bulldogs (4817) advanced to the CWS finals by beating the Longhorns (5017).

Leggett, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, came to bat in the ninth after Cole Quintanilla hit Kellum Clark with a pitch.

Brayland Skinner ran for Clark and stole second before Leggett drove a 11 pitch into leftcenter. Clark came around to score easily, and Leggett rounded first base and tossed his helmet into the grass as teammates mobbed him.