Scotty Dubrule’s two-run single highlighted Mississippi State’s four-run, third-inning rally, and the Bulldogs routed Vanderbilt 13-2 on Tuesday to force a decisive third game in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The championship-deciding showdown is scheduled for Wednesday night.
The score was 1-1 before Mississippi State scored four in the third inning, one in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the seventh.
Dubrule wound up with four RBIs while teammates Luke Hancock and Lane Forsythe drove in two runs apiece. Forsythe had a team-high three hits, and Tanner Allen scored four runs.
Mississippi State starting pitcher Houston Harding allowed one run on two hits in four innings. Preston Johnson followed with five innings of one-run ball, striking out seven.
CJ Rodriguez homered for defending champion Vanderbilt in the second inning, and Maxwell Romero Jr. went deep in the ninth. Commodores starter Christian Little yielded five runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks in two-plus innings.
The Bulldogs, making their 12th appearance at the College World Series, are in search of their first championship. The Commodores captured the crown in 2019, and the event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
–Field Level Media